We Are One
by AnimationNut
Summary: During a battle with the Dragon Hunters, Ruffnut is struck down with an arrow. She is taken to Berk, though it is uncertain if she will survive. Fueled with rage and despair, Tuffnut wants to exact his revenge. But his friends will not let him, nor will they let him suffer, on his own. For he is a dragon rider, and the riders and their dragons are one.
1. Struck Down

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **This story takes place sometime during the second half of season three, so you can expect some spoilers for that if you haven't seen it yet.**

 **Struck Down**

Arms folded under her head, Ruffnut basked in the warmth of the sun, the long blades of grass tickling her cheeks. Though her helmet covered her eyes, she could hear her brother, somewhere near the creek, playing with his pet chicken.

"What a great day to do nothing," she said with a yawn.

"You guys do nothing every day. I don't see what the weather has to do with it."

The familiar, irritated voice reached Ruffnut's ears and she let out a grunt of dismay. Reluctantly sitting up, she pushed back her helmet to get a full view of Astrid, who stood over her with her arms crossed. "Are you following us?" she asked in accusation.

Astrid snorted. "Please. My time is worth much more than that."

"In that case, you can keep on moving and we'll do…well, nothing," spoke Tuffnut, sauntering over with his chicken sitting on his shoulder.

"I don't know how many times we have to have this conversation before it gets through your thick heads, but we have chores and work to do," said Astrid sharply. "If I'm remembering correctly, you two were charged with restocking the fish supply for the dragons."

Tuffnut wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. You and your memory."

"Move!" commanded Astrid, pointing in the direction of the stables. "And _I mean it._ No slacking off."

"Fine, slave driver," harrumphed Ruffnut, climbing to her feet and brushing strands of grass from her clothes. "Don't have a cow. We'll get your fish."

Nodding, Astrid watched the two depart before letting out a Deadly Nadder dragon call. Stormfly soon appeared and landed next to her, chirping happily. Astrid stroked her muzzle before climbing on. "Maybe today's the day they'll actually do what they're told," she spoke aloud as they took off into the air, having their own work to complete.

The twins, after snagging a fishing net from the supply hut, made it to the stables to see Barf and Belch still sleeping. "Smart dragon," said Ruffnut wistfully.

"If we have to suffer, then so do they," declared Tuffnut. His chicken hopped off of his shoulder and scuttled somewhere as the boy strode over and rapped Belch on the top of his head. "Yo, wake up. Apparently we have stuff to do."

"C'mon, Barf," said Ruffnut, lightly nudging her dragon's head with her foot. "If we don't get it done soon Miss Second-in-Command is probably going to chop off our heads and hang them up in the clubhouse."

Tuffnut wrinkled his nose. "That'll completely ruin the décor."

After a few more insistent prods, the Hideous Zippleback awoke. Rumbling in annoyance, Barf let out a small cloud of gas to show his displeasure at being disturbed from a fitful slumber. Coughing, Tuffnut waved away the foul-smelling fumes. "Hey, we're not exactly happy about this either," he chided. "So we're gonna be unhappy together."

Snorting softly, Barf and Belch climbed to their feet and lowered their necks so their humans could get on. When they were settled, the Zippleback flew outside into the warm afternoon air, the sun shining brightly in the crystal blue sky.

Flying directly over the water, Barf and Belch lowered the net below the surface. Tuffnut glanced at the rippling blue water. "So…how long is this going to take?"

"Probably a while if you keep talking. You're gonna scare them away."

Tuffnut glared. "If anything is going to scare them away, it's your stench."

"Hey, the fishy smell _is_ my stench," retorted Ruffnut. "So if anything, I'm gonna _attract_ fish."

"Good for you," sneered Tuffnut. "Maybe you'll find a fish-faced boyfriend- _ow!_ " He rubbed his shoulder, where his sister had landed a solid punch. "Bride of Grendel."

"Jerk," returned Ruffnut with a scowl. "Now shut up and wait for the fish."

It was five minutes into their painfully boring fishing expedition when Smidvarg suddenly flew up to them, clearly agitated. Ruffnut cast a brief glance around the area for the other Night Terrors, but it seemed Smidvarg was alone, which in itself was rather odd.

"What's with you?" she asked.

With an insistent growl, Smidvarg flew off a short distance and stopped, glancing back to see if the twins would follow.

"Dunno what this is about, but I'll take it over this stupid fishing!" declared Tuffnut. "Let's follow that Night Terror!"

Barf and Belch followed after Smidvarg, keeping close to the water. After a short while of flying Smidvarg suddenly stopped, and it was clear why he was so concerned. A fleet of ships was just on the horizon, rapidly closing in on Dragon's Edge, the Dragon Hunter insignia painted proudly on the sails.

"Don't those guys ever give up?" whined Tuffnut.

"Well, this definitely beats fishing," said Ruffnut. "Drop the net, guys, and let's get out of here before they see us."

With a soft growl at the enemy ships, the Zippleback obeyed and discarded the empty fishing net. With Smidvarg by their side they hurried back to Dragon's Edge and burst into the clubhouse, where Hiccup was tinkering with the Dragon Eye. Toothless jolted at the harsh noise, but immediately calmed when he realized it was just the twins and Barf and Belch.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" snapped Hiccup, placing a hand over his pounding heart.

"Hey, we don't have time to be 'polite'," said Ruffnut, dropping from Barf's head. "Not when there are Dragon Hunters approaching."

Jumping to his feet, Hiccup instantly went serious. "How far out?"

"Probably about ten minutes," answered Tuffnut. "Hopefully more. Most likely less."

"They're persistent, I'll give them that," grumbled Hiccup, mind whirling as he started to develop a plan. He hurried over to the horn situated outside of the clubhouse and gave a short warning blast. It wasn't long before the other dragon riders gathered at the clubhouse with their dragons.

"What is it now?" asked Snotlout warily.

"Dragon Hunters," said Hiccup grimly. "The twins spotted them when they were doing their fishing."

"Are you sure it was the Dragon Hunters?" asked Fishlegs dubiously. "Made it was just Trader Johann."

Ruffnut set her hands on her hips. "Only if Johann's ship suddenly multiplied by a dozen."

"Great," said Astrid flatly. "So what do we do?"

"Snotlout and I will get Toothless and Hookfang suited with the armour," decided Hiccup. "We'll take care of the frontal assault, taking out as many ships as we can. You," he said, pointing at Astrid and the twins, "can focus on taking out the catapults and marksmen from the air. Try to stay out of range. The last thing we need is for one of your dragons to be hit by the dragon-root laced arrow."

"Got it." Astrid gave a firm nod.

"Here we go," grumbled Snotlout. "Come on, Hookfang."

As Hookfang and Toothless went to get armoured up, the others flew to the water, where they could see the ships on the horizon, fast approaching. Fishlegs eyed them nervously. "I hope those two get back soon. I don't think it would be good if they reached Dragon's Edge."

"At least we'd have homeland advantage that way," spoke Astrid.

"Sure, if we had our catapults and other defenses prepared. But we kinda got surprised by this attack."

"True," conceded Astrid, eyes locked on the enemy ships. "But either way, they're going down. Just like they always do."

"What a beautiful day for destruction!" cheered Tuffnut.

Ruffnut glanced up at the sky. Once blue, it was now starting to grey as storm clouds formed above them. "It _was_ a beautiful day for destruction," she corrected. "Now it's just a sucky day for destruction."

"Great," grumbled Fishlegs. "Just what we need, a storm."

A few minutes later Hookfang and Toothless joined them, covered with Gronkle Iron armour. "Alright gang, we need to chase them off," instructed Hiccup. "Snotlout, Fishlegs and I will down as many ships as we can while the rest of you focus on distracting and taking out the marksmen and catapults from higher in the air. We can't let them take Dragon's Edge."

"So it's us against a fleet," said Snotlout dryly. "A normal fight."

"Hey, they lost their one major factor-the element of surprise," countered Astrid. "They probably attacked in the afternoon because we wouldn't be as on guard as we are during the night. Thanks to the twins actually doing their work for once, we didn't get caught off-guard."

Ruffnut smirked. "You're welcome."

"Let's go guys, and watch your backs!" commanded Hiccup.

The dragons took to the air, with Hiccup and Toothless in the lead. Racing low against the water the Night Fury shot past the ships, creating waves that knocked them from side to side. Flanking the pair, Hookfang and Meatlug began firing on the ships. Higher in the air Stormfly used her spikes and Barf and Belch used their explosions to confuse and disarm the enemy below.

Standing on the head ship, Ryker glowered at the dragons, not flinching as a fire blast from Hookfang missed him by inches. "They're stubborn brats, I'll give them that."

"So much for a surprise attack," groused Dagur.

"Though the element of surprise would have been a handy advantage, we do not need it," returned Ryker. "I much prefer the straight-forward approach, anyway." Turning his head slightly, he boomed, _"Shoot them down!"_

"Like we haven't tried that before," muttered Dagur lowly.

Heather, keeping her expression a cool mask, watched intently as her friends fought the Dragon Hunter fleet back. Arrows rained into the air, along with flaming rocks and bolas. The assault was almost overwhelming and she could see the others struggling to take down the ships.

 _Sorry, guys,_ she thought regretfully. _I had as little knowledge of this attack as you did. I couldn't warn Astrid in time. At least you found out before we reached the mainland._

She wished she could be up there on Windshear to help them in some sort of capacity. But her dragon was currently laid up in her pen, sick with some sort of cold, leaving Heather to stand stiffly on deck with her brother and watch the battle unfold before her.

"Hookfang, flame up!" ordered Snotlout.

His Monstrous Nightmare obeyed. His dragon engulfed with flames, Snotlout zeroed in on the nearest ship. "Land there!"

Hookfang dropped down onto the deck of the ship, the wooden structure immediately lighting on fire. Hunters swarmed towards them and Hookfang used his tail to swipe them out of the way, some falling into the water.

"Alright!" cheered Snotlout. "Snotfang rules!"

Circling above the remaining ships, Astrid instructed Stormfly to fire some spine shots. A soft rumbling came from overhead and the blonde glanced up. She cursed softly at the blue-white flashes that came from the thick grey clouds.

"Watch yourselves!" she called to the twins. "We've got a lightning storm on our hands!"

Just as the words left her mouth a bolt of lightning struck, causing Stormfly and Barf and Belch to startle and fly lower from the electric storm. Astrid hastily ducked as a volley of arrows came towards them, relentless now they were within the line of fire.

"Barf, gas!" instructed Ruffnut, pointing towards where the arrows were raining towards Astrid and Stormfly.

Green gas flooded the air between the two and the ships. Belch ignited the gas and the explosion obliterated the remaining arrows and caused the marksmen below to duck for cover as the flames reached dangerously close.

"Are you guys okay?" called Hiccup in concern.

"Fine," returned Astrid. She turned to the twins and said, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. We'll get down low and-"

Ruffnut did not hear the rest of what Astrid said, for her eyes suddenly locked on the lone arrow sailing through the lingering black smoke of Barf and Belch's explosion, on a direct path for Astrid's head, seconds away from impact.

" _Astrid! Look out!"_

Time seemed to slow down as Ruffnut jumped from her place on Barf's head, sailing over Astrid and using her body as a shield. The arrow, instead of gruesomely spearing through Astrid's head, impaled Ruffnut's stomach.

" _Ruffnut!"_ screamed Tuffnut, eyes filled with terror as his sister fell limply towards the water below.

Astrid was frozen, staring at the drops of blood that rained down after her female companion. Stormfly flew after Ruffnut and gently snagged her with her claws. Seeing one of their own fallen, Barf and Belch let out a roar that echoed over the water, filled with rage.

"I got her!" shouted Snotlout, having been alerted by Ruffnut's previous shout of warning. He reached up and took Ruffnut from Stormfly's grip, his hands immediately getting coated with the blood that seeped from Ruffnut's wound. "Ruffnut," he asked anxiously, careful not to jostle the arrow. "Ruffnut!"

"Get her to Berk!" hollered Hiccup, face white as a ghost. "Astrid, do something about the blood flow!"

Tuffnut could dimly hear the words his friends were exchanging. But his eyes were locked on Ryker, who stood on the helm of his ship, bow still held in aiming position. There was a satisfied smile on his face, one that Tuffnut wanted to beat off.

Barf and Belch were already speeding for the ship, ready to obliterate the fleet that injured their human. Another bout of arrows came their way and Toothless suddenly appeared in front of them, deflecting the shots with his armour.

"Tuffnut, we need to go, _now!_ " commanded Hiccup.

The male Thorston dug his nails into Belch's scales, trembling with emotion. "He did it," he croaked, hardly able to talk over his mounting fury and terror. "I'm gonna kill him-"

Hiccup reached out and gripped Tuffnut's shoulders. "We _will_ deal with Ryker later," he said firmly. "I _promise._ But we need to get to Berk and help your sister. We need to get out of here."

Breathing heavily, Tuffnut managed to nod. He took Hiccup's extended hand and allowed himself to be pulled onto the back of Toothless. "Come on, guys," he said tonelessly to Barf and Belch. "We'll get these half-trolls later."

With a vicious snort towards the Hunters, Barf and Belch immediately flew off to reach the critically injured Ruffnut, who was being held by Snotlout, the rest of the riders already well off in the distance. Toothless roared threateningly at the lingering ships, a promise to return and punish those who hurt his friend.

Before the Night Fury sped off to catch up to the others, Tuffnut caught Ryker's eye. Lifting his finger, he slowly slid it across his threat, not breaking eye-contact with the stoic Dragon Hunter leader.

 _If my sister dies, I'm coming back for you Ryker, and if I have to sacrifice my own life in order to take yours, then so be it._


	2. Between Life and Death

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Between Life and Death**

Shoving open the heavy doors of the Great Hall, Stoick stepped into the chilly morning air. He glanced up at the sky, which was grey and cloudy. Off in the distance he could see flashes of blue lightning illuminating the dull sky brilliantly.

"So much for that fishing expedition," he said with a weary sigh.

"Don't see why we can't send Bucket and Mulch," spoke Gobber, appearing beside him. "They're expendable, aren't they?"

Stoick shot his close companion a sharp look, not appreciating his attempt at a joke. "Headgear or no headgear, I fear what will happen if Bucket receives another lightning bolt to the head, and Odin help us if Mulch falls victim to Thor's wrath."

"Then we'd have two Buckets to deal with," snickered Gobber.

The men started down the stone steps. "It's been like this since yesterday," mused Stoick, idly running his fingers through his thick beard. "To think that I thought we might have a few days of beautiful weather."

"Don't know where you've been living," said Gobber in amusement. "The nicest weather Berk's ever had is when it's not snowing, the rain isn't freezing and the grass isn't completely frozen."

"Still…" Stoick frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding he could not quite explain. "This sudden weather change…it feels like a sign."

"Oh, you and your signs." Gobber rolled his eyes. "Not every lightning strike is meant to mean something."

"So does that mean I should no longer listen to your claims of what weather will hit us based on the aches in your prosthetics?" returned Stoick. "

Gobber opened his mouth to defend himself, but something approaching off of the horizon caught his attention. Indigence immediately replaced with cheer, Gobber pointed with his hooked hand. "Never mind that, we ought to prepare for company."

Stoick glanced in the direction Gobber was motioning towards. A pleased expression crossed his features at the distant form of his son and his Night Fury, leading the rest of the dragon riders towards Berk.

"It's about time they came for a visit!" he declared, his strides quickening in pace.

Gobber followed after him, a slight smile on his lips. He was tempted to point out that Hiccup had visited only a month ago, but decided that for a father, a month was much too long to be away from your son.

Stoick paused at the bottom of the stone steps, brow furrowing when he noticed the dragons, almost in complete unison, make a sharp turn and fly not towards the plaza nor their respective huts, but towards-

"Oi, it looks like they're heading towards Gothi's," said Gobber in puzzlement. "Wonder what they need her for…thought they figured everything out with the Dragon Eye and that tooth."

"You know Hiccup," replied Stoick. "He's always got a question."

But something did not settle in his stomach. If Hiccup needed to see Gothi, for whatever reason, then he would have come alone, or perhaps have brought Astrid or Fishlegs with him. It was odd for the whole lot to accompany him and leave Dragon's Edge vulnerable, especially now that Dagur and the Dragon Hunters were aware of its location.

"What-?" began Gobber, but did not get to finish, for a rather frightening sound echoed through the air, coming from the direction of the cliffs Gothi's home was located.

" _Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"_

Hiccup's holler, so full of terror and fear, caused Stoick's blood to run cold. His gut instincts were right-something was very wrong. _"Skullcrusher!"_ he bellowed, and it was not long before his Tracker Class dragon appeared, rumbling in concern. Stoick climbed into the saddle with Gobber quickly getting on behind him.

Though the flight to Gothi's hut was no more than a minute, to Stoick it felt much longer. Skullcrusher landed beside the other dragons, who stood tensely at the foot of the cliffs, far enough where they would not get in the way, but close enough so that they could respond immediately if they were needed. Stoick immediately noticed that the Thorston twins' dragon was the only one not present, and his heartbeat quickened.

"I'll stay with them," said Gobber, face grim. "I suspect it's crowded enough in there."

Nodding in agreement, Stoick gave Skullcrusher a brief pat before hurrying up the stairs. He braced himself for what he might see, and nudged open the door.

Hiccup was nearest to him, hands clenched tightly by his sides, expression helpless. Stoick moved immediately to his side and clasped a hand on his shoulder, giving a soothing squeeze. He could feel some of the tension leave Hiccup's shoulders, and his son leaned back slightly, so that he was resting against his father's broad chest.

Stoick's eyes locked on the prone figure lying in Gothi's cot. His heart froze as he stared at the deathly pale Ruffnut, and the entry wound in her stomach, which was now coated in thick salves to help prevent infection.

The village elder was moving swiftly, replacing her herb pots with a needle and clear thread. Hiccup flinched as the needle pierced through Ruffnut's skin and he stared at the floor, unable to see the rest of the stitching process.

Stoick glanced briefly around the room to check on the state of the rest of the teens. Fishlegs stood in the corner of the room, soothingly stroking Barf and Belch, who stayed pressed against the wall, as close to Ruffnut as they could get. Snotlout and Astrid were wiping the blood off of their hands in a mechanical motion, their tremors noticeable.

But the one Stoick was most worried for was that of Ruffnut's brother. Tuffnut kneeled by his sister's side, her hand held tightly between both of his. His forehead rested on the edge of the mat, and though Stoick could not see his expression he could see the shaking in the teen's shoulders.

"Let us leave Gothi to her work," he finally spoke, voice low and solemn. "She will let us know the status of Ruffnut's condition. Until then, we can only wait."

The teens filed slowly from the hut, and Stoick ushered Hiccup after them. Tuffnut stayed rigidly by his sister's side, and Stoick expected nothing less. He had never left Ruffnut's side before, and he most definitely would not leave now, not in this time of crisis.

They walked to the bottom of the stairs in silence. The teens immediately went to their dragons in search of comfort, and Hiccup wrapped his arms around Toothless' neck, resting his cheek against the smooth midnight scales. Toothless rumbled in comfort, nuzzling his human's face.

"I know this is hard," said Stoick somberly. "I know you do not wish to talk about it now, but I must know. What happened?"

"It was the Dragon Hunters," said Astrid hoarsely. "They were trying to ambush us yesterday afternoon. We tried to drive them away, but during the attack, one of the arrows…"

Her throat burned with tears as the mental image of Ruffnut flinging herself into the path of danger flashed through her mind. Stormfly chirped softly and nuzzled her in comfort. Astrid swallowed thickly and managed to say, "One of the arrows came for me, but Ruffnut put herself in the path, and it went through her stomach."

"How is she?" asked Gobber at once, for he had not been inside to see the girl's condition.

"We…we don't know," said Hiccup with a helpless shrug. "It was a day's trip back, and we tried staunching the blood flow as best we could, and covered the wound. But she's been unconscious since the arrow hit her."

"You said it was the Dragon Hunters?" asked Stoick, eyes narrowed into slits. "They'll rue the day…"

"Definitely," muttered Hiccup, and Toothless growled his agreement.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

The rhythmic sound of a wooden staff clunking against the steps caught everyone's attention. Gothi appeared in sight, one frail hand pressed against a slouched Tuffnut's back, urging him along. Snotlout quickly hurried to the devastated Tuffnut and took his arm gently but firmly. He led his friend down the rest of the stairs and eased him against Hookfang. Purring soothingly, the Monstrous Nightmare draped his wing over the boy, providing warmth and comfort.

"Well?" asked Fishlegs anxiously, wringing his hands.

With a solemn expression, Gothi began writing in the dirt with her staff. "I've stitched the wound and wrapped it. The arrow seemed to go cleanly through her, and there isn't signs of internal bleeding," read Gobber aloud. "But she remains unconscious. This might be because of the blood loss, or the shock to the system, I admit I am not sure. But she is alive, and at this time, we can only wait for her to wake up."

"But...but…" Fishlegs bit down on his bottom lip-he did not want to voice what he was thinking, yet at the same time he needed to know.

Thankfully, Gothi understood what he was trying to say. She wrote her answer, and Gobber said heavily, "If she does not wake up soon, then I fear she is lost."

At these words, Tuffnut abruptly shot to his feet. "I'm gonna kill them," he snarled, and his previously lifeless eyes were now aflame with intense rage. "I'll kill _him_. Someone come with me, I need help flying Barf and Belch-"

"Son, calm down-"

" _Calm?"_ shrieked Tuffnut. "I can't be calm! My sister's gonna die and it's all because of those half-trolls! They're not getting away with this! I'm-"

His hysteric rant turned into a bout of coughing as Hookfang lightly snorted a cloud of smoke towards the boy. "Thanks," said Snotlout lowly, stroking his dragon's muzzle.

"Tuffnut," spoke Hiccup. "I told you we would get them, and we will. But not now."

Shoulders slumping, Tuffnut gave a curt nod. "Fine," he whispered. "I…I guess I'll see you back at the Edge, then."

Utterly bewildered, Fishlegs stared. "What do you mean by that?"

"You guys are going back, aren't you? If we leave it empty, they're gonna completely destroy it and take the Dragon Eye."

Hiccup reached into Toothless' satchel and removed the ancient item, holding it out for everyone to see. "They won't have much luck," he replied. "They'll figure out soon enough that it's not anywhere on the Edge."

"That means they'll come here, then, doesn't it?" asked Tuffnut slowly.

"If they are so stupid as to attack us on our territory under such circumstances, let them," said Stoick, eyes flashing. "In fact, I hope they do. It'll be the worst mistake of their lives."

"But-"

Astrid stepped forwards and took Tuffnut's shoulders in a firm grip, looking him straight in the eye. "We're not going anywhere. We're staying here for as long as we need to. If the Dragon Hunters do come here, so be it. We'll take care of them. But we're not leaving your sister, and we're not leaving _you_."

Bereft by this passionate speech, Tuffnut could only nod in response.

"That's settled, then," said Stoick, immensely proud of the loyalty the teens extended to one another. "Tuffnut…would you like to speak to your parents or shall I?"

"You," said Tuffnut softly.

"Then I will go inform them immediately." Stoick glanced at the others and said, "The lot of you should go rest. You had a long flight."

Fishlegs looked at Tuffnut and said, "You know where to find us if you need us, right?"

"Anytime," added Hiccup.

"Yeah, thanks," muttered Tuffnut. "I'll…I'll see you later."

He ducked his head and hurried up the stairs, leaving his friends to stare after him in concern.

"Should we leave him alone?" asked Fishlegs hesitantly.

"I think that's what the lad needs right now," spoke Gobber. "A little time and space by himself."

"Barf and Belch will be with him. They'll watch over him and Ruffnut. We can stop by tomorrow," said Hiccup.

Grumbling reluctantly in agreement, the teens began to head off with their dragons, subdued and worried. Hiccup glanced at his father and asked hesitantly, "Dad, do you think Ruffnut is going to be okay?"

"I don't know for sure, son," said Stoick gently. "But if I know Ruffnut as well as I think I do, I believe she will recover from this."

Though this is what Hiccup believed, it was a great relief to hear it from the person he trusted the most. "Right. Do you want me to come with you? To tell the Thorstons?"

"No, you go on. Gobber will come with me." He cast a glance at his friend, who gave a confirming nod. "Get some rest, son."

Hiccup mounted Toothless and took off into the air. Stoick watched him depart before moving over to where Skullcrusher was laying. "I don't know how I'm going to tell the Thorstons this," he said heavily.

"You say it straight, and don't dance around the issue," replied Gobber matter-of-factly.

"If those Dragon Hunters are moronic enough to sail into our waters, I already have quite a few ideas on what I'll do to them…"

"Me too, Stoick. Me too."


	3. Sleepless Nights

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Sleepless Nights**

Dagur leaned against the wooden railing of the ship, narrowed eyes staring out at the wide expanse of dark blue water. Restless waves knocked the ship gently back and forth and thunder rumbled overhead, but there were no other signs to indicate a harsh storm, so the Dragon Hunter fleet pressed on.

"Dragon's Edge is open for the taking," he groused. "I can't believe we're wasting a good opportunity!"

Heather, who stood beside him, smiled in amusement. "Let's be realistic, Dagur. What would _you_ do with Dragon's Edge?"

"Make it my base, of course," defended Dagur. "It'll be Dagur's Edge! Or something along those lines."

"But if you take over their base, then they'll relocate and we won't have any idea where it'll be. At least this way we know where to strike if we need to," reasoned Heather.

Dagur mulled this over and frowned slightly. His sister had a point, though he was grudging to admit it. "Whatever," he finally scoffed. "It's a dinky island anyway. Though I still don't get why we don't raid it."

"Because there's nothing worthwhile there for us."

Postures tensing at the familiar voice, Heather and Dagur turned to see Ryker, who was regarding them with a slight sneer. "We wouldn't be making any plans, would we?"

"If we were, we wouldn't do it on deck for everybody to hear," said Dagur with a roll of his eyes. "Geez, and people say _I'm_ paranoid."

"You said that there's nothing worthwhile on Dragon's Edge," said Heather smoothly. "How do you know? We might be missing the perfect chance to snag the Dragon Eye."

She knew very well that Hiccup would not just leave the precious, ancient item in plain sight and she figured there was a good chance that the Dragon Eye wasn't on the Edge at all. But Ryker didn't necessarily know that. If she could manage to convince him to turn around and give Dragon's Edge a decent search, it would at least buy Ruffnut and the other teens more time to recover before the Dragon Hunters launched their assault on Berk.

"I sincerely doubt that," said Ryker dismissively. "Hiccup Haddock would not leave the Dragon Eye so vulnerable. He would keep it close. He has it with him on Berk and once we finish our repairs on the other ships and get some more supplies, that's our heading."

"That's gutsy. I like it!" declared Dagur. "It has quite the insane element to it. We just shot down a dragon rider-I can't remember if it was the girl twin or the boy twin, I can never tell them apart-and now we're going to attack them on their home turf. It's completely crazy!"

"Yeah, crazy," muttered Heather, watching with wary eyes as Ryker strode off to oversee the remaining repairs of their ship. She rubbed a hand down her arm and quelled a sigh, shifting her eyes to see the deranged smile on her brother's face.

 _I can't give any warnings this time, guys. May Thor be with you and grant Ruffnut a full recovery._

…

The sky was dark, with silver stars starting appear amongst the inky blackness. Perched upon Meatlug, Fishlegs flew in precise circles around the island of Berk, eyes locked on the horizon. There was nothing except rolling dark waves, sparkling slightly in the silver light.

Though it was only one in the morning, Fishlegs had a feeling there would be no sign of the Dragon Hunters that night. This was both a relief and a disappointment-he was relieved because he didn't think they would be able to properly take on the tribe and disappointment because it meant another day would pass without any payback against the ones who harmed Ruffnut.

"Fishlegs!"

Glancing over his shoulder, the husky boy raised a hand in greeting as Hiccup and Toothless came up to meet them. "Hey. Is it time to change shifts already?"

"Er, I'm an hour late, actually," said Hiccup sheepishly.

"It's already past two?" asked Fishlegs, eyes wide. "Wow. I didn't even realize, so don't worry about it. What were you working on?"

It was a safe assumption to make, since if Hiccup was ever late for anything it was because he had gotten lost in one of his inventions. Whatever it was must have been important, because Fishlegs couldn't remember the last time Hiccup had been late for a shift change for guard duty.

"Oh, I was just trying to think up some counterattacks for when the Dragon Hunters come," replied Hiccup. "I know we have a decent routine when it comes to fighting them, with our dragon armour and all, but I think it's starting to get predictable. Stormfly and Barf and Belch are at a particular disadvantage, so I'm trying to fix that…"

Fishlegs smirked slightly. "You going to go back to the Screaming Death's island and get more scales?"

Toothless let out a snort, giving his head a slight shake. Hiccup patted his head and agreed, "I'm with you, bud." He glanced back at his friend and said, "I don't think so. He wasn't too happy to see us to begin with. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if we had to pluck the scales from his body. We used up all of his shed skin for Toothless and Hookfang."

"Ah. Well, we've been doing pretty good against the Dragon Hunters, so I think Stormfly and Barf and Belch will be okay. Stormfly is quick and Barf and Belch are pretty flexible. Considering our track record, we haven't had too much trouble with those arrows."

"Except for today," said Hiccup grimly, and Fishlegs immediately felt foolish for being so casual.

"I'm so stupid, I shouldn't-"

"No, it's okay!" interjected Hiccup quickly. "You weren't trying to be insensitive. You were just stating a fact." He stared down at his knuckles, a frown crossing his lips. "I…I just can't take chances. I always knew there were risks, dangers, in doing what we do. But now…now that the worst has actually happened, that Ruffnut really might not make it…"

"She will," said Fishlegs, attempting a reassuring smile. "We have to believe she will."

Hiccup took a breath. "You're right. I know. Listen, you two have been out here for a while. You should get some rest."

Fishlegs did not miss the way Hiccup scrubbed at his eyes tiredly. "I think you're the one who should get some rest," he said in concern. "You seem exhausted."

"I'm fine. Just spent a lot of time thinking and that can take a lot out of you."

"Maybe Astrid can take your shift for tonight," suggested Fishlegs. "That way you'll be well rested for tomorrow."

"I'm afraid she's just as beat as I am," informed Hiccup. "Since we're pretty sure that Ryker and Dagur will return with a stronger fleet, she's been training the auxiliary riders nonstop. We want to have as much firepower as possible."

Fishlegs furrowed his brow. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, Astrid's team isn't hopeless or anything, but I don't think they're ready to go up against the Hunters."

"That's where I come in." Hiccup rested his chin against the top of Toothless' head, brow crinkled. "Those stupid arrows are the problem. If we get rid of those, we have the advantage, no questions about it. But we can't suit up every dragon in Screaming Death scales, not to mention we don't have the time for that."

"You'll figure it out," said Fishlegs confidently. "You always do."

"Thanks. I need some surety, since I'm lacking some at the moment." He straightened in the saddle and gave his hand a wave. "Seriously, get some rest. Toothless and I got it from here."

"Okay. Should I check on Tuffnut or…?"

"No, Snotlout's got it covered."

"Goodnight, then. See you tomorrow."

Hiccup watched as Meatlug and Fishlegs flew off towards their home and let out a soft, tired sigh. "It's gonna be a bit of a long night, bud. But it's for Ruffnut, so we're going to keep our eyes peeled for those cold-hearted jerks."

Toothless growled his agreement and started their patrol, ears and eyes on high alert. The Night Fury was fine with staying up all night. He doubted he would be able to get any sleep, anyway, not when he knew that one of his herd lay between life and death.

…

Walking through the dark village, Hookfang by his side, Snotlout balanced a bowl of soup, a chunk of bread and a mug of milk on a wooden tray. A satchel of fish hung from his shoulder for Barf and Belch, who had temporarily taken up residence in Gothi's hut along with Tuffnut.

He paused on his trek to Gothi's when he spotted the glow from a candle in the Hofferson household. "Someone's up late," he muttered.

Taking a quick detour, he walked over the hut and stopped by the window. He found Astrid sitting at her desk, eyes narrowed in concentration. Stormfly was curled by her side and she lifted her head when she noticed them. She purred in greeting and Hookfang let out a low growl in return.

"What are you doing up so late?" asked Snotlout when the blonde did not bother to turn her head.

"Thinking up a training regime for the auxiliary riders," she muttered, fiddling with her piece of charcoal she was using as a writing utensil. "Gustav is the most skilled out of all of them, so he's been assisting me in helping the others out with the exercises. Your father is doing pretty well and catching on to the maneuvers quickly."

Snotlout's chest puffed out slightly. "Of course he is. We're Jorgensons. We're great at everything."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Right. Whatever."

"What about the others?"

"Gothi and Sven are average, I guess. They each have their own areas to improve on. Bucket and Mulch are in tune with each other, but they aren't exactly in tune with their dragon." She rubbed her hands down the side of her face and said softly, "I don't know how to help them with that."

Snotlout felt a pang in his gut and his head lowered. A bond between a Zippleback and two riders was something only Ruffnut and Tuffnut would understand, and neither of them were in any position to offer their unique, nonsensical advice.

"Well, that's something Bucket and Mulch will have to figure out for themselves," he said after a moment of silence. He raised his head and glanced at Hookfang, who was regarding him intently. "A bond between rider and dragon…you can't explain it. You have to discover it for yourself."

Shifting her body, Astrid looked at her friend for the first time since his arrival. "You know what? That might be the smartest thing you've ever said."

"An insult mixed with a compliment. Only you can do that so well," quipped Snotlout. "I'm gonna bring this to Tuffnut before it freezes. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just have a lot of work to do." Astrid picked up her charcoal and glanced at the notes she had come up with. "Make sure Tuffnut eats that, alright? Tell him I'll punch him in the gut if he doesn't."

"Will do. C'mon, Hookster."

Teen and dragon made it to Gothi's hut. They climbed the stone steps and Snotlout tried to be as quiet as possible as he opened the door, not wanting to disturb the village elder, who slept on the second level of the hut.

"Hey," he said softly, alerting Tuffnut to his presence. The male Thorston was in a wooden chair by his sister's bedside, and at the sound of his name he slowly lifted his head. His face was pale and there were bags under his eyes. When he didn't say anything, Snotlout held out the tray and said, "I brought you some food."

"Not hungry," said Tuffnut hollowly.

Frowning slightly, Snotlout set the tray on the table nearest to the door. He removed the satchel and tossed it towards the Zippleback. When it hit the floor in front of the dragon the fish spilled out, but Barf and Belch made no move to eat it. Hookfang wiggled his skinny form into the room and nudged the fish towards his friend, purring encouragingly.

Tuffnut glanced at his dragon and reached out a hand, settling it on the top of Barf's head. "Hey, you gotta eat," he murmured. "Keep your strength up."

Barf raised his head and pushed lightly against Tuffnut's palm, growling defiantly. Snotlout crossed his arms and smirked. "Guess your dragon is as stubborn as you are. They're not going to eat if you don't. If that's not enough motivation, then Astrid wants me to tell you that if you don't eat anything she's going to come and punch you in the gut."

Though Tuffnut did not feel like eating anything, he would force something down if it meant his dragon would eat, and to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with Astrid. "Fine," he muttered. "Give it here."

Snotlout handed over the tray and went to sit next to his dragon, who was now curled up beside Barf and Belch. The Zippleback only started to devour the fish after Tuffnut had taken a few slurps of his soup, and Belch sent some of the cod Hoofang's way.

"Thanks."

He glanced at Tuffnut, who did not look back at him. The teen faced his sister, his shoulders slumped and movements mechanical as he ate the food. But the gratitude in his hoarse, despondent voice was sincere. "No problem," replied Snotlout. "You…uh, you want us to go or-?"

Tuffnut silently split the piece of bread in half and extended his hand backwards, offering it to his companion. Snotlout accepted it with a slight smile. "Thanks, Tuff."

It was a long night for all the teens and their dragons, none of them able to sleep, and Tuffnut not even willing to try. Snotlout stayed by his side and though they sat in silence, more was communicated than words could perhaps convey.


	4. Wise Words

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Wise Words**

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. He dimly remembered his friends coming to visit and Gothi emerging from her personal chambers to inspect his sister's health. He knew he spoke only a few words to Snotlout when he came to bring food, but he wasn't really sure what those words were. When he finally emerged from his state of grief, he lifted his head and stared blearily out the window. It was nighttime again, though he supposed it didn't really matter.

He shifted his head to the side to glance at his dragon. Barf and Belch had finally drifted to sleep, each head snoring softly in a comforting rhythm. He rotated his head once more and stared at the prone body of his sister, eyes closed and face lifeless. A lump grew in his throat and his chest tightened painfully. Letting out a shuddering breath, Tuffnut stood up abruptly and walked restlessly over to the door, shoving it open and stepping out into a light rainfall.

The cool air calmed him somewhat and his breathing was easier. He shut the door gently behind him, not wanting to disturb Barf and Belch, and started down the slippery stone steps, hands tucked beneath his armpits.

 _Should I leave her alone like this?_

His thought of worry soon turned into bitterness and despair. It wasn't like he'd be able to do anything anyway. Ruffnut was lost in a deep sleep and there were only two outcomes. She would wake up, or she wouldn't.

 _She'll wake up. She has to. We're two halves of a whole._

He could feel the emptiness inside him, a part of him that was incomplete and missing. It made him feel sick and helpless and frustrated. It was a feeling he'd experienced ever since the arrow struck his sister, but this time it was easier to bear, thanks to the numbness of the cold.

"Stupid Ryker, stupid Hunters…" grumbled Tuffnut in a hollow tone. He didn't have the energy to muster up the anger to inject into the words.

He reached the forest, which was shrouded in mist. His legs no longer propelled him forwards and he slunk to the muddy ground, back scratching against the damp bark of the tree he chose to lean against.

 _It's my fault. I should have protected her. I should have noticed the arrow. I should have taken the hit._

Curling his knees to his chest, Tuffnut buried his head into his hands. He bit his lip hard to avoid letting his tears free, for crying would not solve anything. He knew, if Ruffnut were with him, she would give him a punch, fond exasperation written across her face, and tell him to stop being stupid.

 _I wish I could, sis. But if you don't wake up, I really don't know what I'm going to do._

" _Prrrrr…"_

The gentle purring caused Tuffnut to raise his head in surprise. Stormfly hovered over him, her head tilted to the side as she studied him. "Hey, Stormfly," he said softly. "What are you doing out here?"

The Deadly Nadder studied the shivering frame of the teen, skin covered in goosebumps from the chill and eyes reflecting the despair he felt inside. She curled up next to Tuffnut and draped her wing around him, immediately encasing him with warmth.

Suddenly exhausted, he sagged against Stormfly's side. "Astrid is going to worry if she finds you gone," he muttered as his eyes started to drift close.

A soothing, rumbling noise came from deep in Stormfly's throat, lulling Tuffnut into a long-needed slumber. Satisfied, she curled tighter around him to protect him from the wind and rain, eyes watchful for any potential threats that could emerge from the shadows.

…

It was close to dawn when Stoick found the male Thorston, curled next to Stormfly in the beginnings of the expansive forest. Gothi had checked on Ruffnut throughout the night and discovered him gone. Concerned of where he might have gone, she alerted the chief, who immediately went in search despite the late hour. One twin's health was already in question-he would not let the other fall into danger.

It wasn't long before Tuffnut awoke (Stoick did not want to disturb him beforehand), stretching his lanky limbs and squinting up at the black sky, lightened by the first rays of the dawn. He carefully unfurled himself from Stormfly's embrace and gave her a pat on the head before starting off.

Stoick studied his movement. His shoulders were slumped forwards, farther than normal, and his eyes stayed on the ground as he walked. Choosing the moment to step forwards, Stoick came out of the shadows and called, "Here I thought you'd run off."

Tuffnut stilled and slowly looked up, the barest hint of surprise crossing his face. "Chief," he greeted in response.

His voice was soft, and Stoick never thought he'd miss the loud, constant nattering or the mischievous glint, which was now vacant from his eyes. His son's concerns were well-found, though Stoick never doubted them. This was the first time he had seen Tuffnut leave Gothi's hut, and his pale complexion, sorrow-filled eyes showed that he was clinging to the last lingering shreds of hope.

"Walk with me."

The reluctance in Tuffnut's eyes showed that he knew what was coming, but even in his current state he knew better than to ignore an order (however gently it was delivered). With a miniscule sigh he turned on his heel and fell into step beside Stoick.

"I'm fine," he muttered, kicking at the loose clumps of dirt from the ground.

"Glad to see your stubbornness has not been lost in your grief," returned Stoick wryly, glancing down at the youth. "But you are far from fine." Tuffnut's eyes held a tint of defensiveness at that, and he opened his mouth to offer a weak retort, but he was cut off with a matter-of-fact, "I don't expect you to be fine."

Confusion replaced the defensiveness and Tuffnut said slowly, "You don't?"

"Have I ever faulted someone for experiencing emotions?" asked Stoick, raisin a thick brow. "Have I ever condemned someone for experiencing heartache? I am not Dagur. I do not disdain that which makes us human."

Tuffnut flushed at this, eyes shifting to the side. "I never meant-"

"I know." Stoick touched Tuffnut's shoulder lightly. "But at the same time, we _are_ Vikings. We are warriors. We cannot give up, nor can we surrender completely to our emotions. You cannot stop living your life just because hers is in jeopardy."

Tuffnut wished he could offer a rebuttal, demand how he could possibly know that. But that would be tremendously stupid, even he knew that. Stoick had been forced to watch a dragon carry away his wife. He knew what it meant to lose someone you loved.

"She's my other half," said Tuffnut, hints of desperation creeping into his tone. "She's still here, she still has a chance, and I'm still terrified. I don't want to think about what's will happen if she…if she _doesn't_ …"

"You will not be alone to figure that out," said Stoick strongly. "Your life does not end with hers. You may work as one, but you lead separate existences. If you give up on yourself, what will happen to Barf and Belch? What will your poor parents do?"

Tuffnut flinched slightly, guilt worming through his stomach.

"This is the course of life," said Stoick softly. "It is inevitable. Whether it happens now or decades from now, we cannot fight it. Don't give up on Ruffnut just yet. But if the time comes, you will have to find your strength again, to stand up straight and continue your life, in honour of your sister, and for your friends and family."

Pursing his lips, Tuffnut stared at the lightening sky for a long moment. Stoick allowed them to walk in silence, but did not remove his soothing grip from the boy's shoulder, and it was not shrugged away. Finally, he said, "Okay. I'll…I'll try."

There was conviction in his words. It wasn't strong, but it was there, and Stoick felt satisfied by this. At the very least, perhaps it would no longer be a struggle to get him to eat or sleep. "Good on you, lad."

They reached the base of the stone steps and Tuffnut lifted his head, a slight, sincere smile on his lips. "Thanks, Chief."

"Don't mention it." Stoick waved him off. "Go see your sister. I'm sure one of the others will be by with some breakfast."

Tuffnut gave a nod of acknowledgement and jogged up the steps, a steely resolve entering his eyes. Stoick was right. Ruffnut was not yet gone. He had to remember that, had to believe in his sister. If she passed, he would have to face it if the time came. But for now, he would be there for his sister, but he could not lose himself in the process.

The Dragon Hunters still had to pay. He would make sure they did it with their blood.

That was his purpose-to get his vengeance, and avenge his sister.


	5. No More Waiting

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **No More Waiting**

Warm breath tickling his cheek, Tuffnut slowly lifted his head, eyes cracking open. A blurry black shape swarmed in his vision and he squinted. "Toothless?"

The Night Fury purred in greeting. Tuffnut stretched his lanky limbs as Toothless walked over to Barf and Belch, growling softly. He watched their conversation for a moment before climbing to his feet, wincing at the sharp pain that went through his back and shoulders. "Ouch," he muttered, massaging the aches. "Maybe I should start sleeping on the floor…"

He wandered over to the window and glanced outside. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and he figured it was late afternoon. Not remembering falling back asleep, Tuffnut glanced around the hut. There was a bowl of porridge on the table, which someone must have brought him for breakfast.

Idly rubbing his growling stomach, Tuffnut wondered if there would be any food left in the Great Hall. Any reservations he had of leaving his sister alone disappeared when he looked over at her. Toothless' head rested at the end of the bed, bright eyes watching Ruffnut's still form intently. Comforted by the Night Fury's presence, Barf and Belch curled up and closed their eyes, taking the moment to get some rest.

"I'll leave her with you while I get some food, then?"

Toothless' ears perked up and he gave a nod, growling in confirmation. Tuffnut left the hut and walked down the stone steps. As he passed through the village he acknowledged the greetings from the other Vikings, wishing they wouldn't look at him with such pity.

"Hey, Tuff!"

Tuffnut paused at the hand that clapped him on the shoulder and mustered up some semblance of a smile. "Hey, Hiccup. Toothless is at Gothi's, if you're looking for him."

"Ah. I figured. He's been a bit restless lately. I hope he's not bothering you."

"No, not at all," replied Tuffnut. "He's watching over Ruff while I get some grub."

Relieved that his friend was getting food of his own volition, Hiccup offered, "Want me to join you?"

Tuffnut was about to decline, but stopped at the earnest expression the auburn-haired boy wore. He swallowed and said softly, "Yeah. That'd be nice."

He was tired of being alone with his thoughts anyway.

…

Over the course of the next few days, Bucket and Mulch fell into the routine of delivering buckets of fish to Gothi's hut, so that the teens (especially Tuffnut) would not have to worry about feeding Barf and Belch. They knew the teen was reluctant to leave his sister's side, though he was starting to move about more, much to everyone's relief.

"Hello," greeted Mulch when they stepped inside the hut.

"Hey," returned Tuffnut, shifting his position in his chair. "Yo, guys, they brought you some grub."

Barf and Belch stirred, growling eagerly as the familiar scent reached their nostrils. Meatlug, who was sitting next to Tuffnut, panted happily. Bucket set the fish down near the dragons and watched as they took turns taking the food from the bucket.

"Polite beasts," he mused.

Tuffnut let out a laugh, which came out rather raspy due to disuse. "Yeah, for now. If Ruff wasn't out cold they'd probably be tearing the place up to get their food. She'd be disgusted to know their behaving for her sake."

"I didn't know Meatlug would be here today," remarked Mulch. "We would've brought some rocks and such."

"Fishlegs has already taken care of that." Tuffnut pointed in the corner, where a box of rocks sat. "But thanks for the fish."

"Anytime," said Mulch. "Do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Nodding, the two waved and departed, leaving the twins under the watchful care of the dragons. "What's Meatlug doing there?" asked Bucket curiously.

"Probably for the same reason Stormfly was there yesterday, and Toothless the day before that," replied Mulch.

Bucket blinked. "What reason is that?"

Mulch rolled his eyes heavenward. "You muttonhead. They're lookin' out for them."

"But…why Meatlug?" pressed Bucket, perplexed. "She's not the twins' dragon."

"Hmm. Bucket, you know how a sheep is part of a flock?" asked Mulch carefully, trying to find a way to explain where his dense friend would understand. When Bucket gave a nod, he continued with, "Well, the kids and their dragons-they're like a herd. They look out for each other, they care for each other. Meatlug may not be Tuffnut's dragon, but she cares for him all the same."

"Oh." Bucket's eyes flashed with understanding. "I see. I wonder if we'll ever have a bond like that."

"Perhaps one day," said Mulch with a slight smile. "But compared to Hiccup and his riders, we still have a long way to go when it comes to learning about dragons."

"…think it's possible to milk a dragon?"

"Ugh. Make that a _very_ long way to go…"

…

Stepping into Gothi's hut, Fishlegs paused in the doorway until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Tuffnut was slouched against the wall, his upper body sprawled out over Barf's neck and his legs tucked against Meatlug's side. Both dragons stirred, but Barf and Belch immediately relaxed at the sight of him, and Fishlegs waved his dragon over.

"Girl, come here," he whispered.

Meatlug carefully extracted herself from Tuffnut, licked him gently in goodbye and waddled across the floor. Once they were outside Fishlegs climbed into the saddle and they took off into the night sky to begin their night watch.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on the twins," muttered Fishlegs, stroking his Gronkle's head. "We all feel a lot better knowing they're not spending the days alone."

" _Guys!"_

Jolting at the loud shout, Fishlegs turned around and spotted Hiccup and Toothless approaching rapidly from the distance. "What?" he asked anxiously when the pair came to a stop in front of them. "What's wrong? Where have you guys been all day?"

"Doing some scouting," said Hiccup hurriedly. "I wanted to see if I could pinpoint the position of the Dragon Hunters."

Fishlegs groaned. "Let me guess…you did?"

"Big time," confirmed Hiccup. "I ran into Johann during my travels and he said that they're just over a day's trip away from Berk. They're going to be here soon."

"We figured as much," said Fishlegs lowly. "But what took them so long? I'm surprised they didn't try to launch an attack immediately."

"I guess they figured it was best not to go charging in without a plan," muttered Hiccup. "That's exactly what we're going to do, too. Gather up the other riders."

"Including Tuffnut?"

"Yeah. Especially Tuffnut."

Fishlegs departed, and fifteen minutes later all of the teens regrouped at the academy. They were all filled with adrenaline and had no way to channel it outwards. Tuffnut paced up and down the length of the academy, hands clenched at his sides.

"What are we waiting for?" he demanded. "Let's annihilate them!"

"Tuff, we can't just barge off blindly!" said Astrid sharply. "Every time we've gone against them they've given us all sorts of trouble."

"Tell me about it," he said darkly, kicking at the ground.

Heart aching for his friend, Hiccup held out his hands in a calming gesture. "She's right. We have to come up with a strategy. We almost lost someone, and I'm _never_ going to let that happen again."

Tuffnut bit down on his bottom lip, not missing on his friend's word choice of ' _almost'_. Taking a quick, shaky breath, he gave a nod for Hiccup to continue speaking.

"They're a day away. We let my dad know, get the warriors prepared, get the dragon armour ready." Hiccup looked at Astrid. "Will you take care of your team?"

The blonde nodded in determination. "We've planned out maneuvers in preparation for this moment. They know what to do. They'll provide distractions and cover fire."

"Our biggest problem are those arrows," muttered Hiccup, eyes narrowed in thought. "There has to be some way…" He trailed off and looked at his friends. "Let's go tell my father. Tuff, you stay with your sister."

"This isn't the moment for me to sit around on my butt!" snapped Tuffnut. "This is what I've been waiting for! A chance to fight back!"

"You'll get your chance, when they actually attack," returned Hiccup firmly. "For now, all we're doing is planning."

"Oh, and I can't have ideas?" asked Tuffnut acidly. "I'm not smart enough?"

"Cool down, man," instructed Snotlout. "You know that's not what he's saying."

"Whatever." Tuffnut threw his hands in the air and stormed for the exit. "I can wait. All I've been doing this past week is wait."

He ignored the shouts of his friends to come back and strode across the platform leading towards the village. He glanced up the dark sky and then over his shoulder, where no one was running to catch up to him. Eyes narrowing in sudden determination, he veered off when he reached the village and went for his home.

He'd done enough waiting. This was his fight, his vengeance to take. It was his sister's honour he was fighting for. If he could at least deal a fatal blow to Ryker, then that would be enough for him. He sincerely doubted the Hunters would expect a lone, dragon-less teenager to launch an assault with nothing but a rowboat and a mace.

And that was _exactly_ what he was going to do.

 _Hang in there, sis. I've got your back. Forever and for always._

…

"Ugh, I hate waiting!" complained Dagur, hanging over the edge of the boat in restless energy. "Why can't we attack tonight?"

"Because it's not time yet," said Ryker in annoyance. He stood at the stern of the boat, looking out over the black, glassy water. "They're expecting us. We can't charge in there without getting the proper leverage."

"What's that again?" asked Heather casually, though she had a good idea of where Ryker was getting at. He'd been planning cryptically for the past week, only dropping vague hints on why they were waiting on the outskirts of Berk's waters.

"I thought it was obvious," said Ryker with a raised brow. "There's one person on that island now that's completely defenseless."

Heather's stomach plummeted. "Ruffnut."

"The twin?" Dagur frowned. "How do you expect to get to her? The second we get close they're going to make sure we can't get anywhere near her."

"Well, that's why we have to get to her _before_ we invade."

"…okay…how do we do that?"

"He sent a few Hunters ahead," cut in Heather, sensing the thinning patience of their 'leader'. "When they're close, we're going to move in, and when they get to Ruffnut they'll send a signal and we'll attack. Isn't that right?"

"I always knew you were the smart one," said Ryker dryly.

"Ooh, hitting a man when he's down! Or girl, in this case. Diabolical!"

Ryker turned his head slightly to Heather and asked, "You have any problems?"

"Not at all," said Heather coolly, though her heart was saying something completely different. "It's a good plan."

"I'm glad you think so," said Ryker with a slight sneer. He glanced over the water, in the direction of Berk, and smirked. "Who knows? Perhaps I'll get the chance to run her through properly. I do hate leaving a job… _unfinished_."


	6. All For One

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **All For One**

After Tuffnut stormed out, the other teens decided to let him calm down on his own, unaware of his reckless plans. Ten minutes after the male Thorston departed, Hiccup sent his friends to the Great Hall, where they would speak with his father.

Rushing through the village, his breath coming out in short pants, Hiccup reached his home and banged none-too-gently on the door, hoping the action was enough to spur Stoick awake. The last thing he needed was to try and wake his father, only to get an axe to the chest.

His harsh hammering did the trick and when he entered the main room Stoick lumbered out of his quarters, a scowl of irritation on his face. It quickly melted at the serious, intent expression Hiccup wore. "What's wrong?" he demanded.

"The Dragon Hunters are coming," informed Hiccup just as Toothless bounded down the stairs. At the sound of the enemy he bristled, growling menacingly. His human stroked his muzzle, calming him slightly, and added, "I did some scouting and encountered Johann. He saw the Hunters during his travels, noticed where they were heading. He figures they're about a day away."

Stoick processed this, eyes narrowing as he thought. "Where are the others?" he asked finally.

"In the Great Hall. We need to iron out our plans. I thought we could speak there."

"Let's go. We do not have time to waste," said Stoick grimly. He swept through the door, Hiccup and Toothless following quickly behind. "I will hear what you and the others have to say first. Based off that, I will call an urgent meeting and we will strategize further."

It was his father's calm manner that helped soothe some of the nerves jumping in Hiccup's stomach. He tried to respond to threats in the same manner Stoick did, but the village chief was much stronger than him, both physically and mentally.

They reached the Great Hall, where the teens were already gathered at the stone table. Stoick strode to stand in front of them, arms crossed over his broad chest. His eyes swept over the youths and he frowned. "Where's Tuffnut?"

"He's not too happy with us at the moment," grumbled Snotlout, tracing invisible lines in the hard surface of the tabletop. "He thinks we're taking too long to make a move. He took off. He's probably with Ruffnut now."

"We'll get him once we think he's cooled down," assured Hiccup, seeing the uncertainty in his father's eyes. He wasn't comfortable leaving Tuffnut alone while he was in this state either, but at the moment he thought it was for the best.

Stoick gave a short nod at that. "Alright, then. What have you lot come up with?"

"The Dragon Hunters tend to follow a similar pattern when it comes to a full-frontal assault," spoke Fishlegs. "They rely on their force in numbers and their dragon root arrows. But instead of five dragons against a fleet, we have the Berk Guard and Astrid's team."

"Here's what we're thinking. We pretend that the Dragon Hunters still have the element of surprise," began Hiccup. "We let them breach onto our land and then we strike. We want them to use up most of their arrows, so we send the auxiliary team to taunt them."

"The warriors will make their move and add further distraction," continued Astrid. "That'll decrease the amount of risk the auxiliary riders are in. We want to overwhelm as much as possible so that they feel the need to overuse their arrows. I'll be the one leading them in this assault."

"Hookfang, Toothless and Meatlug are the only dragons who are able to go head-on with the Hunters," informed Hiccup, settling a hand on his dragon's forehead. "We'll handle the brunt of the attacking."

Stoick, who had been listening intently, gave a slow nod. "It'll be a risky move, letting them onto our soil. But our surprise attack might throw them off enough for us to gain the upper hand early. Skullcrusher and I will assist Astrid's team. They might feel more inclined to use up those pesky arrows if we're also front and center."

"What are we going to do about Ruffnut?" asked Snotlout, brow furrowed. "Gothi is part of Astrid's team. We can't leave her alone."

"We won't," assured Stoick. "I'll send Gobber to watch over her."

His trust in Gobber paramount, Hiccup relaxed, knowing that Ruffnut would be in good hands. "We'll leave Barf and Belch with them. I'm sure Tuffnut is going to want to join the fight."

"Whether he acts as a dragon rider or as a warrior, we will have to keep our eyes on him," spoke Stoick firmly. "He's not known for being reasonable, and I feel his desire for vengeance will further put him at risk."

"Maybe it'll be best if we don't give him a choice," said Snotlout. "If he wants to fight, he has to ride with one of us. If he refuses, too bad for him. He can stay with Gobber and Ruffnut."

"He probably won't be happy, but I think that's the best way to go," decided Hiccup.

"Very well. I'll-"

Stoick did not get a chance to finish, for the Great Hall doors burst open and in lumbered Gobber himself, looking alert despite the late hour. Sharp eyes swept over the teens once before landing on the bemused Hiccup.

"Sorge heard some noises coming from the docks. He went to check it out and found one of the row boats missing. He couldn't find Stoick so he alerted me. Naturally, my mind couldn't help but think of only one culprit."

Fishlegs' eyes widened, catching on to what the blacksmith was saying. "No. He wouldn't!"

"Is he at Gothi's?" demanded Astrid, trying to suppress the rising fear.

"Just looked," said Gobber grimly. "No sign of him."

"Go get him," Stoick ordered the teens, though he knew he really had no need to. "Bring his reckless behind back here. I'll take care of informing the village of what will come."

The teens wasted no time in sprinting out of the Great Hall. "I'll go ahead," called Hiccup, already mounting Toothless.

Not waiting for his friends to respond, he gave the Night Fury a nudge and they soared into the inky black sky, intent on stopping the headstrong male before he got himself in real trouble.

…

Biceps and wrists aching, Tuffnut had to stop for a rest, panting heavily as he let his arms fall limply to his sides. He tried to work out the kinks in his muscles, glancing out across the smooth black water as he did so. There were no ships in sight, not that he really expected there to be. He would have to row at least a day in order to meet up with the Dragon Hunters.

As his boat bobbed in the middle of the ocean, his mace rolling lazily across the bottom of the boat, he felt a flare of uncertainty. He hadn't had to travel by boat in years, and it showed by the strain the effort was putting on him.

"Come on, don't be a wimp," he muttered to himself, gripping the oars and beginning his strokes once more. He only travelled a few more feet before a familiar sound reached his ears- the whistling of a Night Fury soaring rapidly overhead.

"Aw, Thor." Tuffnut swivelled his head wildly, trying to discern which direction the dynamic duo were coming from.

 _Whosh!_

A great blur shot past his dinky boat, causing a swell of water to slosh inside. Tuffnut cursed as the boat wobbled, letting go of the oars as he clasped the wooden sides to keep his balance. When the boat settled once more Toothless had made a roundabout and was now hovering just above him, a low, disapproving growl rumbling in his throat.

"I can't believe you!" hissed Hiccup. "Do you have a death wish?"

"Probably," returned Tuffnut defiantly. "But hey, if I take down Ryker with me, then it'd be worth it."

Toothless' tail snapped out, smacking him sharply across the side of the face. Tuffnut was dazed for a brief moment, raising a hand to press against the light red welt that rapidly formed. Hiccup patted Toothless' head in approval.

"Good boy."

"Ouch, that actually hurt!" cried Tuffnut, rubbing at the stinging mark. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" countered Hiccup. "We've told you that the Dragon Hunters will get theirs. We've promised you. Why did you run off?"

"They're finally close enough for me to strike, and I can't wait any longer!" shot back Tuffnut. His frustration was reaching its peak, about to overflow, and he couldn't take it anymore. "All it takes is one blow and I'm going to do it!"

"No, you're not," said Hiccup immediately. "Not by yourself."

"Why don't you just back off and leave me alone?" asked Tuffnut hotly. "It's not your problem."

Before Hiccup could retort, a loud, angry bellow echoed across the water, causing Tuffnut's scowl to deepen. _"Tuffnut! I'm gonna kill you!"_

"Great," he grumbled moodily, wishing that his boat held enough water to make it sink.

Stormfly arrived, along with the other dragons, and they circled around Tuffnut in an almost intimidating manner. "What in Thor's name is wrong with you?" demanded Astrid, glaring fiercely down at the blonde male. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"That was his plan," replied Hiccup.

"You little- Stormfly, I can't reach, smack him for me!"

"No, wait- _ouch!_ "

"What's your problem, man?" asked Snotlout in annoyance.

"My problem is that no one will let me tear that half-troll limb from limb," snarled Tuffnut. "It's my business!"

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" sighed Fishlegs in exasperation. "Tuff, we're not letting you go on a suicide mission. They already hurt your sister. We're not letting them hurt you too."

"And that is very much our business," added Hiccup, and even in the darkness Tuffnut could see the serious set of his friend's face. "I know you're hurting. I know you feel lost. I know you want to do something. But this isn't the answer."

"You ever think about how we would feel if you got yourself killed?" demanded Snotlout, voice cracking ever so slightly. "What about your parents? Your dragon? Your sister? She's going to wake up. You think the first thing she wants to hear is that her brother died?"

"No, she wouldn't!" exclaimed Tuffnut, feeling his eyes and throat burn and trying to keep control. "I'm trying to hold out hope, I really am, but I can't help it! I can't sit around anymore, while she's defenseless and her attacker is still out there. The days are passing and she's still unresponsive, I can't take it, someone has to pay, I have to do something, anything-"

Unable to hold it together, the tears flow freely, spilling down his cheeks as his words halt on a sob. With swift movement Astrid drops down from Stormfly's saddle and into the half-filled boat, wrapping her arms around Tuffnut in an almost bruising embrace.

"I know it's hard," she said thickly. "But we made a promise, Tuffnut. The Dragon Hunters will pay. It's not your responsibility to see to that, not by yourself. I know you're reckless and crazy, but you can't go off like this. We need you, and we need your sister."

"Astrid's right," said Fishlegs with a firm nod. "We're more than a team. We're one unit, one family. We do things together."

"Whatever happens, Tuffnut, we're going to get through this," vowed Hiccup passionately. "Together. Understand?"

"Yeah," whispered Tuffnut, easing away from Astrid so he could hastily wipe at his tear-streaked face. "Yeah. I got it."

"Come on," murmured Astrid, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home."

Picking up his mace, Tuffnut climbed onto Stormfly behind Astrid while Fishlegs tied the rope of the boat around Meatlug. They started the journey back for Berk, and the male Thorston looked around at the friends that surrounded him.

"Thanks, guys. I'm…I'm sorry."

Snotlout reached over and punched Tuffnut affectionately in the shoulder. "Idiot. Try something like this again and I'll really pound you."

The flight back home was relatively silent, save for Hiccup explaining to Tuffnut the game plan for the assault against the Dragon Hunters. Tuffnut did not put up a fight when he was informed that he would be riding with one of his friends during the battle. He realized now that he was foolish to try and want to handle matters alone.

When they reached Berk, the others split off, promising to meet early in the morning. Astrid dropped Tuffnut off at Gothi's hut, only leaving when she was satisfied that Tuffnut truly understood what they had told him and would stay put.

"Good night, dork. See you soon."

Tuffnut waved as she and Stormfly flew off. When they were out of sight he shuffled into the hut and sat beside his unconscious sister, lightly taking her limp hand in his.

"Alright, sis. You better wake up soon. There are people waiting for you, and I think you've kept them waiting long enough."


	7. She Wakes

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Well this chapter did not want to be written, but I gave it my best effort. Sorry for the wait! I wish I could say the next one will be up sooner, but the battle scenes are coming and those are not my strong suit.**

 **She Wakes**

It was an odd, almost out-of-body sensation, to be able to hear sound and yet not understand what was being said. In the darkness of her mind, there were occasional pinpricks of light, though they seemed to be so far away. Blurred images would ripple before her, like a reflection in a pool, and vanish.

She remembered her attempts to grasp her way out of the void, but it wrapped tightly around her, keeping her restrained. But then a light appeared, a bright white glow that hadn't ever penetrated the inky black expanse before. She reached out again, and there was a sharp ringing in her ears and a massive ache in her head, and everything was illuminated by white.

Eyes cracking open, Ruffnut found herself lying flat on her back, and when her vision cleared, she was in a room that was most certainly not her own. Her mind, once swamped in darkness, was now filled with fog. She could not recall how she had arrived in this place, nor what had happened to her. She didn't know why she was in pain, or why she couldn't move a single muscle.

Her head lolled to the side, and her growing swell of panic ceased at a welcoming sight. Her brother was sitting at her bedside, asleep despite the sunlight pouring through the open window.

She tried to speak, but all that came out was a soft rasp. She swallowed thickly, running her tongue over her teeth, to ensure it was still there. She could feel the words in her throat, and her tongue seemed to still be functional, so why couldn't she talk?

With the little strength she had, she gave her brother's hand a squeeze.

Though the pressure was miniscule, Tuffnut practically jumped out of his skin, jolting straight up and eyes snapping towards his sister. Ruffnut stared at him through half-lidded eyes, a weak smile on her pale face, fingers entwining with his.

 _Hey, bro._

"Ruff…" breathed Tuffnut, tears gathering in his eyes. "Ruffnut!"

Barf and Belch were awake in an instant at Tuffnut's joyful bellow. They scampered over to the edge of Ruffnut's bedside and licked her face happily. Ruffnut spluttered in surprise before letting out a raspy laugh.

 _Hey, guys. I missed you too._

"Ease up," chided Tuffnut. "Give her some space."

Barf and Belch halted their affectionate assault and settled their heads on either side of Ruffnut, purring and nuzzling her cheeks. Tuffnut called for Gothi, who was down on the main floor in an instant. Relief flooded her aged face at the sight of Ruffnut awake, and immediately started checking over the girl. As she examined the wrappings, she gestured her hand between Tuffnut and Ruffnut, and after a moment the male Thorston understood the meaning of the gesture.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Ruffnut tried to lift her arm, but it did not get far off the cot. Her forehead creased in frustration. Tuffnut interpreted her movements, and when she did not answer, he spoke on her behalf. "You're feeling weak, and you can't talk?"

She gave a tiny nod of confirmation.

"How about your stomach? Does it hurt?"

 _Everything hurts._

She grimaced as her head gave another pulse, closing her eyes against the pain. Tuffnut studied her intently. "Well, your head hurts, for sure. Is there anything that _doesn't_ hurt?"

When Ruffnut shook her head, Gothi set about crushing herbs and other plants into a fine powder. She added some water and brought the medicine to the injured girl, where she tipped the bowl at her lips as she drank. When it was all gone, Ruffnut settled back against her pillow, exhaustion clear on her features.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Tuffnut.

Gothi gave a nod. She motioned for the boy to follow her outside, and he gave Ruffnut's hand a comforting squeeze before following after the village elder. Standing on the wooden platform broaching the cliff's edge, she began to write in the sand covering the wooden planks.

' _She's going to be fine. Her muscles will need time to regain strength, and the pain should subside after a week or so. I'll continue giving her medicine to ease the ache. I suspect it will take her some time to speak, her vocal cords haven't been used for a while.'_

"Okay…okay."

Tuffnut felt his body sag with alleviation, the tears spilling over and trailing down his cheeks. After days of waiting, of fearing and agonizing, all of his sorrow and negativity evaporated in one instant, causing him to feel incredibly light. His sister, his other half, was going to be fine. She would just need more time to recover, and he would continue to be with her every step of the way.

"My parents, and the others," he spoke, hastily wiping the tears from his skin, "they gotta know that she's awake—"

Gothi set a hand tenderly against his chest and inclined her head. The simple action told Tuffnut that she would take care of it.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "Seriously. For everything."

She waved him off, a smile crossing her lips. Tuffnut wasted no time hurrying back inside the hut, where he found his sister gently rubbing her knuckles under Barf's chin, her other hand settled atop Belch's head.

"So…do you remember what happened?" he asked cautiously, sinking down into his chair and regarding his sister intently. Ruffnut's brow furrowed, and after a moment of thought she shifted puzzled eyes towards her brother.

 _Not really. The last thing I remember was being chased off to do our chores by Astrid._

Tuffnut rubbed the back of his neck. "We were fighting with the Dragon Hunters almost a week ago. Ryker tried to shoot down Astrid. You took the hit instead, and it went right through your stomach. You lost blood and have been unconscious since. We rushed you back to Berk, and Gothi really patched you up. We've all been waiting for you to wake up. You've been really rude for taking so long."

Ruffnut glared at her brother in annoyance. _Very funny. You see how well you fare when you take an arrow to the stomach._ Her glare heated into a murderous glower as she thought of the person who caused her such injury. _Ryker, huh? Ooh, he's going to regret the day. I'll kill him._

"Trust me, sis, I've been thinking of all the ways I'd get my revenge. All of them ended in a gruesome death."

Ruffnut quirked an eyebrow. _Your revenge? Pretty sure I'm the one who got hit._

Tuffnut waved a hand dismissively. "Hey, you're my sister. He messed with you, so I'm gonna mess _him_ up."

 _Not without me._

"I don't know about that," replied Tuffnut with a smirk. "Hiccup ran into Johann a day ago. The Hunters are coming here. Hiccup brought the Dragon Eye with him. It's gonna be a wicked war, and I'll bet Ryker is going to be at the head of it all."

 _No way! You can't roast him alive without me!_

She scowled at him, and Tuffnut shrugged. "You can't move," he said, apologetic. "I'm not gonna waste this chance."

A determined, ferocious countenance descended upon him and Ruffnut studied him for a minute. There was a steely glint in his blue eyes, and the corner of his lip was pulled up in light snarl. She knew he had been stewing in his anger and sorrow for days on end, and it probably tore him up inside to let Ryker roam the waters while he sat and waited for his opportunity to strike.

She grudgingly admitted that her brother had a point. She would not be able to move about on her own for at least a few more days, let alone be in prime fighting condition.

 _Fine. But I get to totally destroy the person who tries to take a fatal hit on you._

"Deal," replied Tuffnut with a grin. He laid his hand over top hers and said feelingly, "You have no idea how much I missed you."

 _I missed you too._

The pounding in her head greatly lessened, and the pain in her joints now a dull pulse, Ruffnut relaxed into her cot, a small smile curling the edges of her lips. Even though she had been unconscious, swimming in a dark void, she had known, somehow, that her brother had never left her side. She had a distance recollection of a soothing clasp on her hand, soft words being spoken.

 _Thanks, bro._

…

When news of Ruffnut's awaking hit the village, the first thing Hiccup and the rest wanted to do was charge to Gothi's hut to have their long-awaited reunion with the girl. But they managed to restrain themselves, for it would be very disrespectful to greet Ruffnut before her parents.

Soon, Stoick came to collect them, and they all flew to Gothi's hut. They landed their dragons at the base of the cliffs, and Stoick climbed down from Skullcrusher, surveying the group with stern eyes. "I know you are all eager to see her, but I do not think it is wise to crowd her. She's been through an ordeal, and we don't want to overwhelm her. Remember, she will be bedridden for the immediate future until she regains her strength, and at the moment she cannot speak."

"We got it, Dad," said Hiccup, heart pounding in excitement and anticipation. "We'll be careful." He set a hand against Toothless' muzzle, the Night Fury's tail wagging. "I know you want to see her too, bud, but you heard Dad. Can you wait a little bit longer?"

Toothless let out a snort of disappointment, but settled on his haunches. Hookfang let out an annoyed breath of smoke, lying reluctantly beside Stormfly. She and Meatlug were peering up at Gothi's hut, both purring.

Satisfied the dragons would stay put, Stoick gave a nod. "Go on, then. I'll visit after you lot."

The group climbed the steps winding to the top of the cliff. Astrid was in the lead, hands trembling at her sides. She managed not to throw the door open when she reached it, easing it open carefully.

Her eyes immediately locked onto Ruffnut's, and the girl smiled weakly. The sight of her female companion awake and well caused tears to well up, and she hastily scrubbed them away as she and the others filed into the room.

"Thank Thor," she said thickly. "Ruffnut, thank _you_. You took an arrow for me. I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

Ruffnut tried to sit up, and irritation sparked in her gaze when she could not manage the simple task. Barf and Belch were quick to assist, using their heads to nudge the girl into a sitting position and propping her against the wooden backboard.

 _Well, I guess proper repayment would be_ you _taking an arrow for_ me, _but I wouldn't recommend it,_ she thought, flicking her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"She says don't worry about it," spoke Tuffnut, reading her gestures and facial features intently. "Not unless you want to take an arrow for her, and she doesn't recommend that experience."

If it had been anyone else, Hiccup would have thought that Tuffnut's ability to correctly convey what Ruffnut wanted to say was witchcraft. But the twins had been communicating silently for years, and they could practically read each other's minds. It was yet another example of just how solid and unbreakable their bond was.

"Hey, Ruff," he greeted, his own eyes watering as joy and relief coursed through him. "You really scared us."

"Seriously not cool," said Snotlout hoarsely. "Don't ever do that again."

Ruffnut let out a soft snort, a smirk curling across her lips. _I'll do my best, but I don't promise anything._

"She makes no promises," said Tuffnut.

"How are you feeling?" asked Fishlegs anxiously.

"She's fine," Tuffnut replied on her behalf. "Gothi gave her some stuff to take the pain away."

Ruffnut gave a thumbs-up in confirmation.

"So it won't hurt if we hug her?" asked Fishlegs hopefully.

Tuffnut extended his arms in a dramatic fashion, ignoring the way his sister's eyes grew wide—affectionate embraces weren't exactly her thing. "Go ahead, big guy."

Ruffnut lifted her hands in a protesting manner, which were quickly pressed up against her chest as Fishlegs wrapped her up in a bear-hug. "Come on guys! Group hug!"

"How about a handshake?" suggested Snotlout. He let out a grunt as Hiccup shoved him towards the husky blonde, where he was caught in the tight embrace. "Aw, fine," he grumbled, trying to sound indifferent even as he looped one arm over Ruffnut's shoulders. "Just this once."

Astrid walked over and sat on the edge of Ruffnut's cot, resting her head against the girl's shoulder and linking arms. "I'll probably start yelling at you again soon," she muttered affectionately. "So enjoy this while it lasts."

 _You are all kinda creeping me out,_ thought Ruffnut in amusement. _I don't remember everyone being so touchy-feely—well, save for Fishlegs._

But she could not help but smile, because she loved these dorks as much as they loved her, and she was grateful for their concern. Tuffnut smirked, already thinking of all the moments where he could tease her for being hugged by Snotlout, when Hiccup suddenly wrapped an arm around his back and pulled him into the hug circle.

"No fair!" he protested, though he offered no resistance when Astrid hooked her other arm through the crook of his elbow. "I thought we had an agreement on surprise hug attacks."

"No such conversation took place ever," returned Hiccup, jabbing the male Thorston lightly in the side. "In fact, if we ever have that conversation, it'll be after the one where we talk about Snotlout taking showers in the rain—without clothes."

"Not gonna happen," snorted Snotlout.

Ruffnut snickered, and suddenly all the uncertainty, the fear, the sorrow and despair evaporated from her friends. The dark cloud that had hung over them for days had vanished, and Hiccup could not describe the joy at seeing Ruffnut's crooked smile, and what it meant to feel hope reignite deep in his chest.

They stayed in that embrace for a long while, and when they separated Ruffnut cocked her head to the side, puzzlement on her features. _Where are the scaly dorks?_

"Where are the others?" asked Tuffnut, idly scratching Barf's neck.

"They're waiting outside," informed Fishlegs. "Stoick thought it would be best if we didn't overwhelm you."

 _Overwhelmed? Me? Never. I need some air, anyway. I feel like I'm withering away._

She attempted to swing her legs over the side of the cot, which she managed to do with help from Belch. Hiccup bit his bottom lip. "I don't know if you should be moving. Gothi said you should stay in bed."

"Don't be a worrywart," dismissed Snotlout. "Besides, she needs the sunlight. She looks like Odin's ghost."

Ruffnut stuck her tongue out at the boy in response. Tuffnut and Astrid helped her to her feet, needing to keep a firm grasp or else she would collapse to the hardwood floor. It took a while to reach the door, since Ruffnut was determined to walk and it took a great amount of effort just to take the tiniest of steps. She was sweating with exertion by the time they made it outside, the afternoon sunlight overcoming her senses. Barf and Belch waited for the others to leave the hut before departing, flying into the sky for a brief stretch of their wings and then landing on the ground.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to make her own way down the winding steps, Tuffnut and Astrid looped their arms under her knees and lifted her up. Ruffnut wrinkled her nose in annoyance, for she never did like being in a helpless situation. But she didn't have a voice to protest (not that she thought her friends would really listen to her anyway).

They reached the bottom of the steps and gently lowered Ruffnut into a sitting position. Hiccup sat behind the girl, so she could use his knees as support for her back. Toothless was the first one to reach the girl, and she spluttered at the dragon kisses he gave happily to her face, leaving behind trails of saliva.

 _Geez, T, you need to brush your teeth. And that's coming from me._

Stoick crossed his arms over his broad chest, trying to look stern and knowing he was failing. It was impossible to have a frown on his features when Ruffnut was before him, eyes half-lidded, corner of her lip curled slightly upwards, a shadow of her ever-present lazy smirk.

"I believe Gothi said you should stay in bed," he spoke pointedly.

One hand resting lightly against Meatlug's muzzle, Ruffnut managed to angle her head away from the Gronkle's eager affection. _Tuff, I can't lift my arm high enough. Salute him for me._

Her brother was standing a distance away, lounging against Barf and Belch's side. He caught sight of her attempts to raise her arm and did the motion on her behalf, performing a respectful salute to their chief. "That's from her," he replied. "It means she's happy to see you."

"Aye, I'm happy to see you well, lass," replied Stoick, a smile curling across his lips. "Your bravery is commendable. When you are fully recovered, we will have a grand feast in your honour."

 _I'm cool with that. I like food,_ thought Ruffnut, settling a hand on Stormfly's scales as the Deadly Nadder wiggled to sit beside her, chirping happily. Hookfang nuzzled her cheek, and Meatlug and Toothless went to converse with Barf and Belch. Astrid, Fishlegs, Hiccup and Snotlout stayed close to the girl, making conversation that did not require detailed responses so that Ruffnut could participate with her nonverbal gestures.

"I suspect the two of you will soon be up to your tricks."

Tuffnut glanced up to see Stoick coming to stand next to him. He straightened to his feet and he grinned. "I hope so. I've been too well-behaved lately."

"I think that's pushing it," said Stoick dryly, "considering you ran off with the intent of performing a suicide mission."

Sheepish, Tuffnut rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his eyes to watch as Barf and Belch, Meatlug and Toothless waddled over to where the others were. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I kinda lost my head."

"I didn't realize it was fully attached in the first place," quipped Stoick good-naturedly. "I wonder when you kids will learn to listen to me. I said not to give up on her, didn't I? Not to give up on yourself?"

"You did," agreed Tuffnut. "And I do listen, I just don't…you know…always do what I'm told."

Stoick let out a snort, for he knew that better than anyone. He paused to regard the boy, not missing the quick glance he shot towards his sister, and the smile that only grew when their eyes met. He set a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm immensely glad that she's recovering. I admit, it did not feel right, seeing you without her. We were all hurting, for the both of you."

"Thank you," said Tuffnut sincerely. "Seriously. For caring about two teens who've always been serious pains in your butt."

"Don't be foolish. I look after my own." Stoick glanced up, observing the riders and their dragons gathered around Ruffnut, who was pale and tired but wore a smile just as bright as her brother's. " _We,_ " he amended, "we look after our own."

Tuffnut felt a swell of emotion rise within him, and he could only nod, for he wasn't sure if he could speak past the lump that suddenly grew in his throat. He made his way towards his sister, hands hanging loosely at his sides, no longer being clenched into anxious fists.

He knew this happy, carefree atmosphere would not last long. The Dragon Hunters would be upon them soon. This was just the calm before the storm.

But as with every trial and tribulation faced in his young life, he knew he and his sister would be fine. They had each other, they had their dragon, and they had the others. That was all they would ever need.

 _Give it your best shot, Ryker. We'll be waiting for you._


	8. Quiet Nights, Chaotic Mornings

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Quiet Nights, Chaotic Mornings**

Cloaked by the darkness of the night, a lone wooden dingy bobbed on the soft waves of the inky water. Four Dragon Hunters were packed in the small space, bodies tense and eyes alert. Though they were approaching Berk from the rear, close to the expanse of forest and far from the village, there was still the chance of being spotted by the meddlesome teens and their dragons. If they did not reach their target, Ryker would not be pleased—and that was something they did not need.

The boat reached the sandy shore, a rocky cliff looming above them, pine trees lining the edge and stretching out as far as the eye could see. The five Vikings climbed onto the shore, axes and arrows tight in their grasp.

"Send the signal," Dagfinn, the leader of this party, growled.

Nodding, one of his men lit his arrow aflame. He quickly aimed it towards the sky and released it, watching the orange embers crackle against the dark sky. It hovered for a moment before plunging into the water, where it was immediately extinguished.

"Let's move," Dagfinn ordered. "If any of these Berkians happened to see it, they'll be on route shortly. We need to get to the girl and get out. We know what will happen if we fail."

And so the five moved quickly across the sand, scaling the cliff and beginning the trek through the dense forest. Far off in the distance, a blurry dot against the horizon, was a hut built into the highest cliff of Berk, where their target was waiting.

…

While the flaming arrow went mostly unnoticed, the arrival of the Dragon Hunter fleet did not. Hiccup's eyes narrowed as he spotted the collection of ships on the horizon, closing in on his home. They would not reach their shores until dawn, which left little time to get ready for battle. His fingers reached down, brushing the Dragon Eye that was attached securely to his belt.

"You're not getting this easily," he muttered under his breath. "And you're leaving this battle unscathed, either. Come on, bud. Let's spread the word."

He did not use Berk's warning signal, for it would for sure be heard across the water. Though he figured the Dragon Hunters would be suspicious when no riders flew out to intercept them, they would also be confused, or at the very least confident that they had the element of surprise. Both of these possible outcomes would work in his favour, at least for a little bit.

He warned his father first, who wasted no time in spreading the word to the rest of the village. The rest of the riders were also alerted, and Astrid focussed on alerting a specific member of her team.

"Hey!" she bellowed, slamming her fist against the wooden door. "Gustav!"

The sixteen-year-old jolted awake, thrashing in his covers for a minute before wrangling himself free. "I'm up!" he called groggily, stumbling to the floor. "Is it time to fight? 'Cause I'm so ready—I'll kick some Dragon Hunter butt!"

He wrenched open the door and let out a yelp when Astrid's fist crashed down on the top of his head. "Ow!"

"Sorry," she replied unconvincingly. "The fleet is here. They'll be on our shores around dawn. Let Sven, Bucket and Mulch know to prepare for flight. Spitelout is already out and I'm going to Gothi's."

"I'm on it!" said Gustav eagerly.

"Remember the plan. We need to draw out those arrows as much as we can." Astrid's lips turned downwards sharply, eyes darkening. "Don't get close—that's an order. You hear me?"

"Yeah," said Gustav quickly, knowing the girl was thinking of Ruffnut. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

Pride flared within Gustav's chest, and he straightened his shoulders. "Fanghook and I won't let you down!"

A flicker of amusement went through Astrid's eyes before returning to her serious mask. She gave a nod and went to mount Stormfly, taking to the air and flying to Gothi's hut. Gustav pumped his fist in delight. "You hear that, Fanghook? She's counting on _me!_ "

His Monstrous Nightmare grumbled irritably, tucking his head under his wing, clearly unimpressed.

"Hey! This is no time for sleeping! We have a battle to prepare for! Fanghook? _Fanghook!_ "

…

Leaving Stormfly on the steps of the cliff, Astrid knocked once before entering. Tuffnut was standing off to the side, an unreadable expression on his face. He was watching Gothi replace Ruffnut's bandages, his female counterpart sitting up against a stack of pillows.

"She okay?" asked Astrid, moving to stand beside Tuffnut.

Gothi nodded and Ruffnut gave a thumbs-up. Relieved that Ruffnut was finally in stable condition, Astrid surveyed the occupants of the room. "So the Dragon Hunter fleet is here," she said seriously. "They'll be breach our land at dawn. We have to get ready."

Tuffnut felt a rush of wicked glee, for this was the moment he'd been waiting for, to exact his revenge on Ryker. A dozen gruesome scenarios ran through his mind, images he had dwelled on for a week.

The door creaked open, and Gobber lumbered in. "Stoick told me the news," he spoke. "Came over as soon as I could."

Finished with her work, Gothi set aside her supplies and looked to Astrid. "If you're ready, you can mount your dragon. Gustav should already have gathered the others—find him and he'll give further instruction until I get there."

Gothi gave a nod of understanding and departed. Astrid set a hand on Tuffnut's shoulder and asked softly, "You ready?"

Tuffnut stared at the floor, suddenly unable to say 'yes', to say the word that would catapult him into the midst of battle. Everything he envisioned was no longer as appealing, and his rush of vengeance-fueled emotions had already disappeared, leaving him conflicted. His plans had been so simple when Ruffnut had been unconscious. But now…now that she was awake and recovering…

"I'll look after her, lad," promised Gobber. "No Hunter is going to lay a hand on her."

"I know," spoke Tuffnut. "It's not you. It's…" He looked at Ruffnut, who was watching him with a puzzled expression. "I know I complained about having to wait to have my chance to get back at Ryker. I know all I wanted was for him to suffer. But…but now that he's here…I can't leave Ruffnut."

Surprise flickered across his twin's face before turning into fond exasperation. _You're such a dork._

"I can't leave her alone. I want to stay with her. I almost lost her once, and I'm not going to let it happen again." A slight smirk crossed his face. "Besides, I don't think she'll forgive me if I get to mess up Ryker before her."

 _You got that right._

"I think Chief could use you in this battle more than he can use me," Tuffnut directed towards Gobber. "We'll be fine. We've got Barf and Belch."

He gestured towards their dragon, who growled in confirmation. As much as they wanted to roast the one who hurt their human, they were not going to leave them alone.

Gobber regarded the two intently for a moment. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea…"

"We have some time before dawn," determined Astrid. "We'll talk to Hiccup, see what he thinks. In the meantime, get your dumb mace and find a whistle. If something happens, blow it, and we'll be right here to help."

"Right. I'll get on it."

"I'll find Stoick and let him know. If he has a problem with it, you'll obey his orders," warned Gobber.

"Don't I always?" asked Tuffnut innocently.

Rolling his eyes, Gobber rapped Tuffnut slightly on the head with his hooked hand and left with Astrid. When the two were gone, Ruffnut regarded her brother with a slightly suspicious expression. _Alright, what's going on? I know you're worried about me, but you know Gobber will run through anyone who tries to hurt me._

"Well…a weird thing happened earlier, sis," said Tuffnut conversationally. "Someone shot a flaming arrow…any ideas what that might mean?"

Ruffnut's eyebrows flew up. _A signal? So…someone's coming for us?_

"Whenever we want something, how do we go about getting it?"

 _Bribery. Blackmail. Bargaining._

"Ryker wants the Dragon Eye. In order to get it, he's going to have to bargain for it. What do you think he might want to use in order to get what he wants?"

 _Me,_ realized Ruffnut. _The one person on Berk who can't properly defend herself. An easy target, and one that will definitely make Hiccup do what he wants. The goof probably feels guilty about what happened, and he'll do whatever Ryker asks if he has me._

"I think someone's coming to get you."

The words had just left his mouth when Barf and Belch suddenly stiffened, yellow eyes narrowing into slits. Ruffnut watched in bemusement as her brother quickly covered up the windows and extinguished the candles that lit up the space.

Some time passed, and they waited in silence. After a while, the sounds of whispering and rustled movements reached them. Ruffnut stared at the door, flinching ever so slightly when it was slammed open. The five Dragon Hunters gathered in the entryway, arrows aimed and loaded, did not have a second to react. Barf spewed a cloud of green gas and Belch ignited it, causing a miniature explosion that sent the enemy flying with shouts of surprise.

"Nice shot Big Guy," praised Tuffnut. He extended a hand and Ruffnut grabbed hold. He helped her out of bed and outside. Peering over the wooden railing surrounding the platform, they stared at the motionless group of Dragon Hunters far below, smoldering slightly.

 _Think they're dead?_

"Eh. Probably not. Vikings are made of tough stuff. But they definitely won't be moving for a while. What do you think Ryker is going to do when they don't come back?"

 _There's a good chance he's going to find me himself._

Tuffnut grinned sinisterly. "And when he comes, I'll use Macey to knock his brains out." He disappeared into the hut and returned a second later with his beloved weapon. "Smuggled it here yesterday and hid it under your bed while you were sleeping."

 _When did you get so smart?_

Tuffnut glared, offended. "I've always been smart! Hiccup even called me a genius."

 _Yeah. Twice, in all the years he's known you._

"Shut up, troll-face." Tuffnut nudged Ruffnut's shoulder lightly. "I'm going to drag away the bodies so no one finds them and panics and ruins my well-thought out plan."

 _You mean stupidly impulsive and reckless plan._

"Eh. Same thing."

…

When dawn broke, the fleet reached the shores of Berk. The Dragon Hunters disembarked the ships, wielding weapons of all types, and on the helm of the head ship, Ryker observed.

"Okay, something isn't right here," spoke Dagur, eyeing the seemingly quiet island with a frown. "Hiccup is always infuriatingly on top of these things. Yet we managed to walk right up to their front door without being intercepted?"

Ryker furrowed his brows, intent eyes roaming the landscape. It was indeed oddly quiet, and there were two things that he expected to happen which did not occur. The first was for Hiccup and his blasted riders to attempt to intercept them while still out on the water. The second was for his men to have returned with the female twin.

" _Look out!"_

Many Hunters scattered as three large boulders careened through the air and smashed into the beach, one taking a chunk out of a ship. At the same time, swarms of Berkians poured over the incline, led by Gobber, hollering war cries. They collided with the surprised Dragon Hunters, the clinging of swords, axes and maces echoing in the early morning.

" _Go!"_ boomed Ryker, incensed. _"Take them down!"_

He should have known that such a scene would have greeted them when they neared Berk's shores. It was too easy to breach their territory. His plan to lure them all into a battle in the water had turned on him—they had lured him instead.

 _No matter. So long as we can create enough of a distraction until that girl is brought to me, we are still on track._

Up in the air, the dragons were in flight. Toothless and Hookfang were suited up in their dragon armour, and Hiccup had to speak loudly to be heard over the commotion below. "Okay! Snotlout, Fishlegs and I are going to take out the ships! The rest of you taunt the Dragon Hunters. I want them to use up as many arrows as possible—but be careful, and don't get too close!"

"You heard my boy!" thundered Stoick. "Let's run them out of our island!"

"Alright, let's go!" whooped Snotlout, urging Hookfang into sharp dive. They soared over a ship, and Hookfang jerked to the side to avoid being snared by a pair of bolas. He breathed a torrent of fire, scorching the deck of the ship and forcing many Hunters overboard. "Snotlout, Snotlout, oi oi oi!"

"Way too early to celebrate, man," called Hiccup.

Toothless flew low over the water, sending the boats rocking violently. A few arrows rattled off of his armour, and Hiccup guided him higher into the air. He searched the collection of boats below, practically packed together, at least a dozen or so. He could not spot Ryker, and that made his blood boil.

 _Come on out and fight, Ryker._

"Hey! Watch out!" cried Fishlegs.

Hiccup snapped his head around in time to see a boulder fly for him. Toothless dove downwards, and Meatlug swung in behind the Night Fury and chomped down on the projectile. "Good job, girl!" praised Fishlegs. "Lava blast!"

Meatlug chucked up glowing streams of lava, which rained down on the ships. One Dragon Hunter managed to fire a bola before diving into the water. The weapon went straight for Fishlegs, who did not have time to react.

 _Swish!_

Hookfang's tail slammed into the bola, sending it spiralling harmlessly to the water. Snotlout smirked and said, "Hey, Fishlegs, watch out!"

"Thanks," he returned, half-sarcastic.

Astrid soared over the beach, eyes flying back and forth to keep track of the multiple arrows flying towards her. "Stormfly, spine shot!"

A series of spikes flew towards the enemy, pinning some to the ground. Stoick was not far behind, using Skullcrusher to ram into the cliffs, causing rocks to careen for the Dragon Hunters gathered below. Gustav soared high in the sky, practically trembling with a combination of excitement, anxiety and nerves. It was his first real battle, and he knew they were all fighting on Ruffnut's behalf. This was not a battle he wanted to be a disappointment in.

"Alright, Fanghook, fire blast!"

A stream of fire rained down below, causing Dragon Hunters to jump back and some to be fried. Gustav whooped excitedly. "Oh yeah!"

"Something very bad is happening!"

The panicked shout caused Gustav's head to whip around. Bucket and Mulch were falling rapidly for the ground on their Hideous Zippleback, an arrow sticking out of his side. "Fanghook, grab them!"

Fanghook sped for the falling dragon, diving closer to the ground. Gustav's eyes roamed wildly, his hands urging Fanghook to avoid the rapidly approaching arrows. "Come on, buddy, we're almost there—yes!"

Fanghook snagged the Hideous Zippleback with his claws and used his tail to send a cluster of Dragon Hunters flying. He set Bucket, Mulch and their dragon down in the sand and the Dragon Hunters started to swarm forwards.

"Fire circle, let's go!"

Fanghook created a ring of fire around the fallen warriors, a barrier between them and the enemy. The Hunters stumbled back to avoid getting singed. Gustav grinned. "Ha! What's the matter, can't take the heat?" He glanced down at Bucket and Mulch, who were now checking over their dragon. "That'll hold them off until he recovers!" he called.

"Thanks for the save, Gustav!" shouted Mulch gratefully.

"Anytime!"

Stormfly flew up, sending a volley of spikes below. Astrid turned to Gustav and said, impressed, "Great job, Gustav."

She was gone a second later to assist Sven, but her words echoed through Gustav's brain. "Did you hear that?" he asked giddily.

Fanghook snorted, lightly blowing a cloud of smoke into his human's face. Coughing slightly, Gustav wheezed, "You're right, I can gloat later. Let's annihilate!"

…

Something had gone wrong.

Ryker knew that when his men had yet to return with the girl, and anger burned within him when he realized that, somehow, they had failed.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," he growled. Turning to glance behind him, he barked, "You lot, with me!"

The six Dragon Hunters acknowledged his command, standing at attention. Ryker glowered at the dragon riders, still unable to understand how they could continue to cause so much trouble when they were always outnumbered.

"In the water. We're swimming to the other side of the shore."

The seven Vikings submerged themselves into the cold water, and they swam away from the chaos of the battle, the sounds muffled. They climbed back on land, out of sight, and Ryker pointed to the cliff where he knew his target was currently holed up.

"That is where we are going. Do not dawdle. I want this to be quick. We have wasted enough time, and I will harshly punish _anyone_ who drags down this mission. Move it."

They sprinted the entire way, and when they were close to the hut Ryker finally slowed. His men were gasping for breath, but he barely had even a bead of sweat from the exertion. "Quiet," he said roughly.

Though it was difficult, the men managed to control their heavy breathing. Ryker stared up at the hut in the cliffs, eyeing the covered windows. He could sense the presence of a dragon, which did not surprise him. The green Hideous Zippleback had been absent from the Berkian army, and there was really only one other place they would be.

"Up the stairs," he ordered softly. "Do _not_ make noise."

Quietly, they ascended the stone steps. As the six Hunters gathered outside the door, Ryker circled over to the window. Aiming the arrow, Ryker listened intently, and released the projectile. The arrow slice through the curtain and there was a roar of pain. There were two more cries, of shock and then outrage when the Dragon Hunters took their cue to storm the hut.

Ryker swung himself over the sill, taking in the scene. The dragon was thrashing about in the corner, his tail slamming into whatever was in his way. The male twin had hold of his sister with one hand, keeping her behind him, and held a mace with the other.

The twins' eyes zeroed in on him, and the hatred practically oozed from their every pore. "You," snarled Tuffnut. "I'm going to kill you."

"Go ahead and try, my boy. But I'm afraid you're outnumbered." Ryker extended his arms, gesturing to the Hunters that surrounded them. "Now, what happened to the others I sent to retrieve you?"

"We roasted them," spat Tuffnut.

 _Typical,_ thought Ryker, annoyed. The idiots could not even anticipate a dragon attack, and their stupidity caused this whole charade to linger on. "I see. I suppose it is appropriate, since we have unfinished business with one another."

"You lay one hand on my sister—"

"I don't think you're in a position to make any threats," interrupted Ryker with a mocking smile. "You could try something stupid, but then you'll be dead, and your sister will be alone, with me. I don't think you want that."

Tuffnut eyed his sister, who was glaring at Ryker as if she wished her very eyes could melt him on the spot. He then looked at their dragon, who were now beginning to experience the doozy side-effects of the arrow.

 _This did not go how I planned._

Ruffnut spared a glance at her brother, whose frustration and agitation was almost palpable. _Yeah, but then again most of our plans go crazy. So what do we do?_

It was a question Ruffnut did not need an answer to, for they both knew what their only option was. Gritting his teeth, Tuffnut dropped his mace, which a Hunter promptly picked up.

Ryker nodded in approval. "Not as stupid as you look. Come along. I don't want to spend another moment longer on this backwater island than necessary."

Tuffnut had his hands bound behind his back, but since Ruffnut could not even walk by herself, two Hunters merely grabbed hold of each of her arms and forced her along. They entered the early morning, the sounds of war echoing in the distance.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged glances. Ryker had them, and he would not let them go, at least not until he was a good distance away with the Dragon Eye. The two were masters in the game of trickery and deception.

Whether or not they could use their Loki-given skills on Ryker was another matter—if they couldn't execute a plan, it was going to be a trip to Valhalla for the both of them.


	9. Trade Off

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **Trade Off**

Thick grey smoke clouded the early dawn sky. Flames flickered along the wood of ships, crackling and hissing as it consumed whatever was in its path. A decent amount of charred shipwreck floated in the water, bobbing against the calm surface. There was a steady whistling as bolas, boulders and arrows whipped through the air. War cries and the clashing of metal sounded from the shore as the two Viking tribes clashed.

Amongst the chaos, Heather managed to stay unnoticed. The raven-haired girl peered out through the open hatch, quickly counting the number of Dragon Hunters on deck. There were ten of them, but they were so focussed on their long-range shooting that she knew she would be able to slip off the ship without trouble.

"I'm going to be right back, Windshear," she whispered to her dragon, stroking her smooth muzzle affectionately. She was still down with a cold, unsuited for battle, much to Ryker's ire. Though Heather would never wish her best friend ill, there a small part of her that was relieved that Windshear was suffering from a harmless ailment at this particular time. It meant she would not have to participate so obviously in this battle, which would raise questions that she did not have time to answer.

But she could not stay hunkered down to keep her dragon company. She had to find Hiccup or Astrid, or any member of the Berk dragon riders. She had not seen Ryker for some while, and there was a sick feeling developing in her gut. She just knew that he had gone to collect Ruffnut and she needed to warn her friends.

Taking a deep breath, Heather hurried on deck. She was about three ships away from land, so she nimbly leapt from ship to ship to reach solid ground. Her eyes roamed around, sending a wary glance towards Stoick flying an unfamiliar dragon above, and then turning thoughtful upon spotting Astrid a distance away.

" _Raagghhh!"_

Whirling around in surprise, Heather managed to step out of the way in time to avoid a charging Viking. She wasn't able to identify the Berkian, which made it slightly easier to use her double-ended metal weapon to knock the burly man unconscious.

"Sorry," she whispered, slipping her double axe into a leather sheath strapped to her back. "It's nothing personal."

Knowing she could not linger for too long before someone recognized her, she zeroed in on an abandoned bola lying in the sand. She grabbed hold of it and raced for the stone cliffs, having to fight a few other Berkians along the way. Grunting with effort, she scaled the wall and stood at her new vantage point. Readying the bola, she waited until Astrid came into view, and let loose.

Letting out a startled yelp, Astrid found her arms pinned to her body. She thrashed on instinct, and the force made her fall off of Stormfly. She did not have a far drop, for a pair of hands secured her shoulders and pulled her roughly up onto the cliff's edge.

"Hey! Let go of me—" Her outraged shout was quickly cut off when she noticed the one who held her captive. "Heather?!"

"I can't talk long," she said hurriedly, unlatching Astrid from her bindings. She looked around frantically as she spoke. "I'd rather not been seen by Stoick."

Astrid hopped to her feet and reached out to pet a concerned Stormfly, who quickly flew to her side. She craned her neck to see if anyone had noticed her little spill, but Stoick was currently caught up with a barrage of boulders coming his way.

"What's wrong?"

"Ryker, he's gone—he went to get Ruffnut."

Astrid was frozen for only a second before fury flashed in her blue gaze. "This battle—it was never meant to go on for long, was it?"

"No. It was merely supposed to be a distraction while some Dragon Hunters went to get Ruffnut. I guess something went wrong with the others and he's gone to handle it himself."

"That little—"

Heather flinched at the curse word the blonde uttered, as fitting as it was. Astrid hurriedly mounted Stormfly. "Thanks for the warning. You better get back to your ship before you're missed."

Heather barely had time to give a nod before Astrid nudged Stormfly and they were off, a rush of wind causing her hair to fly wildly around her face. She watched them go, apprehension building as she sensed precious seconds wasting away, seconds Ryker was taking advantage of.

 _May Thor be with you guys._

…

"Bud, plasma blast!"

The front of the ship before them exploded with blue flames, but it was not enough to scare the gathered Dragon Hunters away. They seemed to realize that Berk's dragon riders did not shoot to kill, and were taking risks to land critical blows. A couple of bolas flew towards them, which Toothless just managed to dodge.

"Dang it," whispered Hiccup. "What's it going to take to drive these guys off?"

He knew the answer to that question, and he was starting to wonder if perhaps the Dragon Eye was worth it all. He did not like fighting, but he did it out of necessity. But he did not to think about his options long—this time, there would be no retreat. This was their territory, and Ryker had tried to kill one of his best friends. It was unforgiveable. While Hiccup would not kill, he would make sure all the Dragon Hunters regretted the day they messed with them.

"Another plasma blast, this time at the mast!"

Toothless obeyed, and with a crackling snap the wooden mast snapped in half, beginning a slow descent. While some Dragon Hunters hastened to get out of the way, one managed to aim a launcher directly at the dynamic duo. A metal chain shot out and ensnared around them, dragging them forcefully downwards.

Hiccup cried out as they slammed into the deck of yet another enemy ship. With his slim frame, Hiccup managed to wiggle out of his bindings. He stayed knelt next to Toothless, who growled menacingly as the one person neither of them wanted to see at that moment saunter up.

"Easy," he muttered lowly to his agitated dragon, keeping a hard glare on the one before him.

"Hiccup! What a surprise!" exclaimed Dagur. "For a moment, I thought you were avoiding me."

"Unfortunately, I'm not so lucky," ground out Hiccup. He got slowly to his feet, not missing the crowd of Dragon Hunters that came to flank Dagur.

"How odd, because I'm feeling extremely lucky today. Here we are, searching for something you stole from us, and you bring it right to us!"

Hiccup laid a protective hand over the Dragon Eye attached to his belt. "Last I checked, you were a Berserker. So technically I didn't steal anything from you."

"Always with the sass!" snapped Dagur, a flash of annoyance crossing his scarred features. "Stop with your snappy word play and _hand it over!_ "

Hiccup dove out of the way as Dagur lunged. The Berserker recovered quickly, spinning on his heel and reaching out, grabbing hold of Hiccup's shoulder. He brought the Berkian in a tight headlock with one arm, the other reaching for the Dragon Eye.

The auburn-haired teen slammed his elbow in Dagur's side, causing him to stumble backwards. There was not enough force for him to relinquish his hold, so he started to thrash in a fierce attempt to get loose.

Dagur grunted as he was jostled from side to side. "Hello, a little help here!" he demanded. "Are you losers just going to stand there?"

The previously uncertain Dragon Hunters began to move forwards. With a hiss, Toothless fired a plasma blast, sending a few flying. Hiccup eyed the rail of the ship and said, "I think you need to cool off."

"What? What does that even mean?"

With a mighty effort, Hiccup threw his slim frame back against Dagur. They catapulted back a few steps before somersaulting over the wooden railing and into the water. Dagur let go in surprise, spluttering as his arms and legs kicked madly. Hiccup was more graceful, swimming to the surface and clambering back onto the ship in time to see Toothless take out the remaining Dragon Hunters with his tail, the rest of his body trapped down with chains.

"Good job, bud. Time to get out of here before Dagur comes back."

He pulled on the chains, but they were stuck tight. He hissed in annoyance and look around for something to help him with.

" _Hiccup!"_

Dagur swung himself back onto the deck, soaking wet and radiating with fury. He strode menacingly across the deck, teeth bared in a snarl.

"You are _really, really,_ a serious pain in my—"

 _Phwish!_

For the second time Dagur was thrown back into the water, this time by a volley of spikes. Hiccup looked up and was relieved to see Astrid swoop in on Stormfly. "Astrid!"

"Move back!" When Hiccup complied, Astrid then patted the back of Stormfly's head, near the base of her neck. "Single spine shot!"

A lone blue spike flew through the air and sheared through the metal chains. Toothless hopped to his paws and shook himself out, stretching out his wings. Hiccup hurried over and cradled his head. "Hey, buddy. You okay?"

"Hiccup, we need to go. Now."

There was something about Astrid's tone of voice that caused Hiccup's hairs to stand on end. He snapped his head up and asked anxiously, "What's happened?"

"This whole thing is pretty much a ruse. The battle isn't for the Dragon Eye. The battle is the distraction. Ryker is going to trade you for his Dragon Eye."

The realization struck him with such force that it nearly sent him to the ground. But he managed to regain control, swinging himself onto Toothless. He didn't even need to give a command, for his Night Fury took to the air. They left Dagur to flounder in the water, whizzing through the forest at speeds that caused the wind to sting their faces.

They reached Gothi's hut in no time. Toothless blasted the door right off its hinges, and they greeted by Barf and Belch, who were struggling to stand, an arrow sticking out of his side. "Guys!" exclaimed Astrid, hopping off of Stormfly and hurrying to the Hideous Zippleback's aid. With careful movement, she removed the arrow, which had not managed to fully pierce through the tough dragon skin.

"He took them," whispered Hiccup, hands trembling at his sides. "The son of a— _let's go._ "

Knowing Barf and Belch would have to wait out the effects of the dragon root-laced arrow, Astrid hurried to mount Stormfly, heart pounding in her chest.

They had almost lost Ruffnut once. Now both of them were at risk—at the hands of the unpredictable Ryker.

…

Gustav raised a hand to wipe a sheen of sweat from his brow. He could feel his dragon breathing heavily. Neither of them were used to fighting to such a degree and it was starting to strain on them.

Glancing around to assess the battlefield, the young boy noticed that Hiccup had left his station near the ships. Astrid was also gone, and he wondered where the two had gone. He did not have time to dwell, for his eyes caught something odd on the water.

The debris was being shifted sharply aside, as if something below was disturbing the natural flow. Squinting, Gustav watched the water, and his eyes tripled in size when a group of Dragon Hunters surfaced, dragging a pair of water-logged twins behind them.

"Chief!" he shrieked, urging Fanghook to fly as fast as he could towards Stoick. "Chief! They—"

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bola careening towards him. He did not have time to dodge and closed his eyes, bracing for impact. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes to see Skullcrusher blocking him, the bola bouncing harmless off of the massive dragon's side.

"Stay focussed, boy!" ordered Stoick.

"But Chief—they got the twins!" cried Gustav, pointing towards where Ryker was discretely bustling the two Thorstons onto his ship.

Stoick stared for a few beats, before his face turned purple with rage and he bellowed, _"Ryykkeerr!"_

The furious cry caught Snotlout and Fishlegs' attention. Turning, they caught sight of the blondes being forced onto the deck. Hookfang and Meatlug both roared ferociously, the sound echoing across the water.

" _Ruffnut!"_ cried Fishlegs at the same time Snotlout hollered, _"Tuffnut!"_

When the dragons started to charge towards him, Ryker removed a sword from his sheath and held it tightly against Ruffnut's neck. That was more than enough to cause Hookfang and Meatlug to screech to a halt. Satisfied that he was in control, Ryker boomed, _"Silence!"_

The order carried over the noise of the battle, and everyone stilled. The Dragon Hunters jeered once they realized that Ryker had successfully gotten a hold of his hostage. It took the Berkians everything to remain in one place and not react as violently as they wanted to, knowing the twins' lives were in Ryker's hands.

"You have the gall to invade my land, attack my people, and terrorize that girl. What makes you think you're going to leave these waters alive?" growled Stoick, his voice rumbling across the silent atmosphere.

"I have no such grand delusions," answered Ryker evenly. He knew the power and might of Stoick the Vast, and had no desire to incur his direct wrath. "I assure you, this little scrimmage was not meant to last this long, but I have many incompetent warriors under my command. I am merely here to make a trade for something that was stolen from us."

"You lost it, I found it. I believe there's a rule that applies here."

A slow smile curled across Ryker's lips as the Night Fury soared into view and landed on the shoreline. Hiccup dismounted, eyes hard and fists clenched. "Do not try to rationalize. An item found on a Dragon Hunter ship belongs to us. You've had your fun—now it's time to give it back to its rightful owners."

With one sweeping glance, Hiccup took in the situation. Though they had enough dragons to make a significant assault on Ryker's ship, it would be a dangerous risk. Ruffnut could barely stand on her own and she refused to cling to the enemy for support. With one hand Ryker kept her upright by gripping the back of her tunic, the other hand holding the sharp weapon directly against her throat. All it would take was less than a second to kill Ruffnut then and there.

Tuffnut was being held a few feet away from his sister, arms held tightly behind his back. He was boiling with rage, his teeth clenched together. Hiccup knew instantly what he had to do, and he glanced up at his father.

"Give it to them, son," confirmed Stoick grimly.

Unstrapping the Dragon Eye with trembling fingers, Hiccup started to mount Toothless, freezing when Ryker ordered, "No dragons. Toss it over here."

"Give back the twins," countered Hiccup.

"I'll meet you halfway. I'll give you the boy, you give me the device. We'll sail away, and I'll leave her on the island that lies a few lengths from Berk's waters."

"No way!" snapped Tuffnut. "You give my sister back and you can take me."

"I don't think so. Your sister is being rather cooperative and quiet right now," sneered Ryker. Tuffnut glowered murderously, and the man continued, "Do we have a deal, Hiccup Haddock?"

"Yes," the teen bit out.

"Wonderful." Turning to Ruffnut, he said lowly, "If you even think of coming back aboard, I will slit her throat and bring this village to its knees. Understand?" Taking the resulting snarl as acknowledgement, he jerked his head. "Toss him."

Tuffnut found himself being thrown over the side of the ship and into the water. Ryker cast a brief glance into the water, satisfaction at the seeing the boy's helmet sticking above the surface, the teen making his way back to the shore.

"Your turn," instructed Ryker.

With pure hatred in his eyes, Hiccup tossed the Dragon Eye as hard as he could. One of the Dragon Hunters caught it, and Ryker ordered, "Everyone move out! And if I see one dragon or boat following us, I will finish what I started."

Hiccup stared back, eyes steely. "And if you harm one more hair on her head, we will bring Thor's wrath down upon you ourselves."

An almost amused sneer crossed Ryker's lips. "Then we have an understanding."

Astrid raised a fist and slammed it into her open palm in agitation. Snotlout swore and kicked at the ground. Fishlegs watched the boats that were still functioning sail away, moving briskly across the water since the wind in their favour.

"What do we do?" he asked anxiously.

"Not much we can do," spoke Gobber, striding up, his face creased in anger. "I shouldn't have left them."

"You wanted to come out and fight on their behalf. There's no shame in that," spoke Stoick strongly. "Hiccup, can we trust Ryker's word that he will not harm Ruffnut?"

"I think so," said Hiccup, his mind racing. "He's got this weird thing about sticking to his vows."

"We can't let them get away with this!" exclaimed Snotlout.

"For once we're in agreement," said Astrid.

"No one will make a move," ordered Stoick. "With Ruffnut in his grasp, we cannot risk her safety with an attack. We will wait until enough time has passed, pick her up and go from there."

"Guys!" Fishlegs suddenly called, standing near the edge of the water. "Tuffnut hasn't surfaced yet!"

Stoick, Gobber, Gustav and the other dragon riders rushed to where the husky boy was standing. Tuffnut's helmet was still bobbing along the current, but the boy's head did not pop up. Perplexed, Hiccup sloshed into the water and reached out. He grabbed hold of the horn and pulled, plucking a lone helmet from the water.

"What the…?"

"Uh…guys?" Gustav pointed out across the water, toward Ryker's boat. Everyone stared out across the water, catching a brief glance of a blonde head sticking out above the water before disappearing back under just as quickly.

"Nice eyes," praised Astrid, expression astounded. "How did he…?"

"That little devil," said Stoick in awe. "He picked the current that would send his helmet directly to shore, making it look like he was swimming back."

"Well, he does live by Loki," spoke Snotlout. "Think it's enough for him to pull this off?"

A low, guttural roar sounded from the cliffs, full of rage and indignation. Though most of the Berkians could not identify the creature, the dragon riders knew full well who it was. Smiling a sincere smile, Hiccup glanced in the direction of the noise before turning to watch the boat sail off in the distance.

"Yeah, I do. And in a few more minutes, they're about to receive some backup. We're just going to have to wait for our cue."


	10. All For One and One For All

**I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.**

 **So here we have the final chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little tale, for I certainly did. I love writing about the family aspect between the dragon riders, so I had fun. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

 **Until next time, AnimationNut out. Peace!**

* * *

 **All For One and One For All**

To anyone not used to Berk's climate, they would find the ocean to be unbearably freezing. But to Tuffnut, who had been born and raised in harsh winters and frigid rainstorms, the water felt like a refreshing dip. He barely noticed the numbness in his limbs as he churned slowly through the water, his eyes stinging as he forced to keep them open.

He could just make out the bottom of Ryker's ship and he stayed on it, arms and legs moving briskly. Whenever he needed to come up for air, he would find a piece of driftwood and use it to cover himself, taking in large gulps before submerging once more.

 _I so deserve some pampering after this amazingly awesome rescue mission,_ he thought.

He didn't dwell on what would happen if he failed. He couldn't afford to. As far as he was concerned, failure wasn't an option.

When he got closer to the ship, he picked up his speed. He managed to position himself alongside the vessel and grabbed hold of the wood. He could feel splinters from the planks digging into his hands, but he ignored the sting. He hoisted himself out of the water, hair plastered to his face.

The wind slapped at his freezing skin. As he took in deep breathes of air, he looked around quickly, taking in his surroundings. Since Ryker's ship was the lead ship, the other boats in the fleet were a distance behind. Hoping they were far enough away so they wouldn't spot him, Tuffnut pressed on.

The wooden planks making up the ship were surprisingly smooth and there were few edges of broken bits for him to grasp onto. But while Tuffnut wasn't a fantastic dragon trainer, he excelled in being sneaky and mischievous. He could climb anything, no matter how sleek a surface. He always thought it was a handy gift but he never fully appreciated it until now.

Reaching the metal grates that allowed light to filter below deck, Tuffnut gripped the bars and pulled. His brow creased in annoyance when they were stuck tight, not even a screw loose. "Great," he muttered quietly to himself.

Knowing he would not get much farther without acquiring a tool of sorts, Tuffnut slowly continued upwards. Gripping the edge of the deck with one hand, he lifted himself up enough so he could scan his surroundings.

The Dragon Hunters were clustered around, talking and laughing. Ryker stood near the stern with Ruffnut, the sword now against his side. Ruffnut was kneeling on the deck, her exhaustion evident. Tuffnut felt some comfort at seeing Heather standing close to her, her hand making soothing pats on Ruffnut's shoulders whenever no one was looking their way.

 _Come on sis,_ he thought. _Feel my presence. Twin powers activate!_

It had always been a joke between them and their friends, how they seemed to be able to read each other's minds and how they just _knew_ where the other was at all times on the rare occasions they were apart. Whether or not these were just freaky coincidences or a twin thing, Tuffnut did not know—he didn't know any other twins.

But when Ruffnut shifted her head to stare at him over her shoulder, Tuffnut was grateful for their deep connection. There was a brief flicker of surprise in her eyes before amusement settled in. She regarded him, wondering what exactly he planned to do next. She didn't think he was really dumb enough to charge onto the deck when he was clearly outnumbered, but she was still worried nonetheless.

Jerking his head to the side, he signalled for her to get Heather's attention. Ruffnut cast a glance at Ryker to see if he was paying attention. His eyes were locked onto the horizon, a steady vigilance for any approaching dragons.

Pinching the fabric of Heather's leggings, Ruffnut gave a tug. Heather glanced down at her and discreetly moved her gaze when Ruffnut redirected her attention. Green eyes widening at the stowaway hanging off of the edge of ship, Heather checked to make sure Ryker was still searching the sky in paranoia before casually walking off.

"What are you doing?" she asked in low voice, leaning against the railing near Tuffnut and staring off into the distance. "If Ryker catches you—"

"I know, I know, death all around," interjected Tuffnut. "I just need something to pry open one of these grates."

Removing her double-axe from her sheath, she quietly slipped it down to him. Tuffnut took the slim handle and said, "Oh yeah, that'll work."

With Heather keeping nonchalant lookout, Tuffnut stuck the corner of the sharp axe into the corner of the grate. He applied as much pressure as he could with one hand, gritting his teeth together as he tried to separate the grate from the screws.

 _Screech!_

The left corner of the metal grate peeled upwards with a cringe-worthy noise, causing Tuffnut to freeze. Heather shot a look over to Ryker, who had stiffened. When there was no repetition of the odd sound, Ryker's muscles slowly loosened.

"He's going to come investigate if you keep this up," she whispered. "His paranoia at a massive dragon ambush isn't going to keep him distracted for long."

"I think I got it," returned Tuffnut softly. "Thanks."

Heather accepted her weapon and secured it in its holder. "Be careful," she cautioned before walking off to stand once more by Ruffnut's side.

Tuffnut studied the progress he had made with the metal grate. The left-side screws had popped right off, leaving some slack for him to wiggle through with his slender form. Taking a quick breath, Tuffnut pried up the grate and wiggled his arms and head through the narrow space. He grit his teeth as his sides and elbows slammed into the sharp edges.

He pushed his torso through and nearly fell face-first into the floor. He managed to twist in time to land on his feet in a cat-like manner. Straightening, Tuffnut stilled at the sight of another set of bars. "Right…grates lead to cells," he muttered. "Thought I was forgetting something."

The cell was unoccupied, so Tuffnut prayed that the Dragon Hunters would have seen no reason to lock the door. Nerves bundling in his stomach, Tuffnut pushed at the metal, feeling a great rush of relief when it eased open.

"Oh Thank Thor. That hardly ever happens."

He looked around at the other cells, which were occupied by various species of dragons. They all looked miserable, sad rumbles filling the corridor. Tuffnut studied them thoughtfully, a slow grin curling across his lips as he formulated a plan.

"But how am I going to get them out?" he thought aloud.

He did not have time to ponder, for the hatch swung open, letting in harsh rays of light. Tuffnut hastily retreated into the empty cell, quietly closing the door behind him. He squinted out between the bars, spotting two Dragon Hunters venturing into the space before he was forced to move back before they noticed him.

Waiting with bated breath, Tuffnut listened intently to the approaching footsteps. _One…two…three…four…five!_

The Dragon Hunter who had the misfortune of walking in front of his comrade found himself with a metal door to the face. The full force of Tuffnut's powerful shove knocked him to the floor, causing the second Dragon Hunter to stumble back in surprise. At the sight of the familiar dragon rider charging towards him, he raised his mace.

Tuffnut ducked to avoid the swinging club and ploughed into the man's stomach. The Dragon Hunter did not have time to regain his breath as a boot-covered foot slammed into his face. He joined his teammate on the ground, unconscious.

"Ow," groaned Tuffnut, gingerly rubbing the top of his head. "That doesn't hurt so much when I have my helmet."

"Ooh…what hit me?"

Grabbing hold of the silver mace, Tuffnut whirled around and struck the first Dragon Hunter on the back of the head. Another lump on his noggin, the enemy slumped to the floor with a pained groan. Staring at the weapon in his grasp, Tuffnut brightened.

"Oh, Macey! I wondered what happened to you."

Slinging his beloved weapon over his shoulder, Tuffnut snatched the keys from the belt loop of one of the unconscious Dragon Hunters.

"Okay guys," he spoke to the observing dragons. "Now it's time for what I call a revelation. Or revolution. Whichever one it is."

…

Sitting on the deck of the ship, Ruffnut tapped her fingertips against her arm, waiting almost impatiently for her brother. She didn't quite know what plan he had in mind (if came aboard with any plan at all). She trusted he would get her off the ship safely, though she wasn't entirely certain if they would both be in one piece.

" _Rrrraaaggghhh!"_

The amount of ferocity in the roars caused the ship to rock. Whirling around, Ryker hollered, "What in Thor's name-?"

A dozen dragons flew from the hatch, screeching in fury. They turned on their captors, lava blasts and streams of fire raining down. Spotting his fingers moving for his sword, Ruffnut mustered all the strength she could manage and shot to her feet.

"Surprise," she rasped.

She grabbed the hilt of the sword and wrenched it from Ryker's grasp. Keeping a careful grip on the blade, she swung upwards and slammed the handle into Ryker's face with enough force to send him hurtling over the edge and into the water.

" _What is going on out here?"_

Dagur stormed out of the upper-deck cabin, eyes locking first onto the swarming dragons. Heather quickly jumped into action, pretending to charge at Ruffnut and 'accidentally' crashing into Dagur, who wandered obliviously into her path.

"What the—?"

Ruffnut stepped out of the way with a knowing smirk, watching as the girl let herself fall over the railing, dragging her brother with her. Landing in the water, Dagur spluttered to the surface, crying, "What was that for?"

"You got in my way!" fumed Heather. "I think I hurt my ankle. Help me."

"What's going on?" snapped Dagur, idly wrapping his arms around his sister and helping her to an approaching ship.

"The dragons got out," she said innocently.

"What about the girl? Where's Ryker?"

"He's being taken care of," she said vaguely. "Er—I mean he's taking care of things."

Up on the ship, having exhausted enough effort with that simple move, Ruffnut panted heavily as a few Dragon Hunters stormed towards her.

 _Pwoom!_

Green gas clouded the space in front of her before igniting in a fiery blast. Dragon Hunters hollered as they were blown in all directions. Barf and Belch landed on the deck, snarling fiercely. With a wide smile, Ruffnut climbed on when Barf lowered his head.

"Perfect timing," she whispered. "Now where's the idiot?"

" _Aagghh!"_

Ryker threw himself onto the deck of the ship, rage twisting his facial features. Startled by the sound, the freed dragons took off into the sky. Barf and Belch had an opposite reaction, snarling viciously, wings raising in a threatening manner.

"You dragon riders don't know when to quit," he growled. Grabbing an abandoned bow and arrow from the surface of the ship, he aimed it at the Hideous Zippleback.

"You're right—we don't!"

Spinning on his heel, Ryker used the bow to block a strike from Tuffnut's mace. The wood splintered under the heavy metal and the man strode back a few steps. "You know," he said slowly, retrieving the sword Ruffnut had let go of upon the arrival of Barf and Belch. "I think I'd like to complete the set. It's not fair for your sister to suffer alone, is it?"

Dodging to avoid the sword, Tuffnut countered, "She wasn't alone," and lunged forwards.

The metal rang throughout the air as sword and mace collided. Sweat rolled down Tuffnut's neck as he struggled to keep up with his larger opponent. A particularly hard blow sent him to the ground and he hastily rose his mace to block Ryker's sword.

"Come on, Tuff!" hissed Ruffnut as loud as her dusty vocal cords would allow. "Kick his butt!"

Having not heard his sister's voice in over a week, it reignited the fire in Tuffnut, giving him enough power to shove against Ryker. Springing to his feet, Tuffnut slammed his mace across Ryker's face. The sword was inches away from connecting with his stomach when Barf and Belch's tail snapped out, clipping the sword out of Ryker's hands.

Panting for breath, Tuffnut watch Ryker sprawl out against the deck with a curse. "Thanks, buddy," he directed at his dragon.

"I suppose you're going to kill me now," sneered Ryker.

He was weaponless and his comrades had all been blasted off the ship by the Hideous Zippleback. Tuffnut stared at him for a moment, exchanging a glance with his sister. "I really, really want to," spoke Tuffnut. "Trust me, I've imagined a dozen scenarios in how I'd make you pay."

"Pausing for dramatic effect, then?"

"No." Glaring at Ryker, Tuffnut said, "If I kill you, it makes me no better than you. Berkians aren't violent like you Dragon Hunters. That's what makes us different. Besides that, Hiccup doesn't like fighting, and he definitely doesn't like violence. I give him a hard time, but I respect my leader."

"That's the problem with you backwater Vikings— _no backbone!_ "

Ryker lunged forwards, grabbing an unprepared Tuffnut by the neck and dragging him down to the deck. With a roar of rage, Barf and Belch flew forwards. Ryker rolled out of the way to avoid the claws, but it was not him the dragon was reaching for.

Taking Tuffnut in a solid grip, the Hideous Zippleback flipped the boy up so he was resting securely on Belch's head. Rubbing at his throat, Tuffnut set his mace in his lap as he remarked, "Starting to change my mind here."

Ruffnut smirked. "Well, we can still beat the living daylights out of him," she said in a low rasp.

"Fair point, dear sister."

"Barf, gas!"

"Light it up, Belch!" instructed Tuffnut.

The resulting explosion rocked the ship, forcing Ryker back. "Dragon Hunters," he bellowed, _"aim!"_

Confused, the twins looked around to see that the other ships in the fleet had caught up. Arrows and bolas were aimed in their direction, and a split second later the projectiles were careening towards them.

"Up!" called Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

Barf and Belch shot upwards, but could not avoid all the weapons. A few bolas and arrows made a beeline for them and before the pair could react, a blue spike sailed through the air and spliced one of the bola's string in half. A stream of fire took out the arrows and a plasma blast obliterated the second bola.

"Hey!" Stormfly and Astrid flew up beside the twins, a smile on the girl's lips. "Who said you could have fun without us?"

"We're not great at sharing," informed Ruffnut.

Grinning widely at the sound of Ruffnut's voice, Hiccup declared, "All right gang, let's roast him!"

In a synchronized attack that needed no signals, the five dragons launched a series of fiery blasts, sending Ryker's ship ablaze. His entire ship splintering apart, Ryker was forced to once again go overboard.

"Remember this Ryker," shouted Hiccup, his eyes flashing. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

"We rule!" hollered Snotlout.

"You think you've won!" hissed Ryker. "But I still got what I came for!"

Smirking, Ruffnut called, "Hey, Ryker!" When he turned to glare at her, she reached into her vest and pulled out the Dragon Eye. "I think you're missing something!"

Eyes wide, Ryker frantically felt along his belt as Ruffnut's friends cheered. Face purple with rage, Ryker bellowed, _"Get them! Get them!"_

"Let's go gang!" called Hiccup.

Their dragons flew high into the air as the Dragon Hunters tried desperately to hit them. They sailed through the air and towards Berk, leaving behind a burning ship, a delighted Heather and a thoroughly defeated and humiliated Ryker.

" _Dragon riders!"_

…

When the group returned to Berk, they were greeted by an enthusiastic village. Stoick and Gobber were the first to greet the teens, the village chief embracing the twins before sending them off to their concerned parents. Gobber clapped the two affectionately on the shoulder as they passed by. Astrid spotted Gustav standing among the crowd and went over to him, reaching under his helmet to ruffle his hair. Snotlout and Fishlegs fist-bumped each other and Hiccup went to his father's comforting and secure hold.

After Gothi checked over the twins and the other Vikings who received injuries in the battle, Stoick declared it was time for a feast. The Great Hall was soon thriving with energy, Vikings toasting one another and singing cheerfully. The riders and their dragons held court at a table in the front of the room, plates laden with food.

"Geez," spoke Hiccup, studying the Dragon Eye. "How did you get this away from him?"

Ruffnut wiggled her fingers. "I'm like a spirit."

"She's got a knack for doing that," said Astrid in amusement. "That's how she got us out of our cell when the Hunters captured us the first time. Stole the keys right off the guard's belt."

Hiccup looked at the girl. "You know I wouldn't have cared if you came back without the Dragon Eye, right?" he asked seriously. "It doesn't mean anything to me, not compared to you."

"Don't get mushy on me," she said with mock disgust. She was leaning back against Barf and Belch, who rested behind her and Tuffnut.

"Dude, you were great," said Snotlout to Tuffnut. "That thing with the helmet—genius."

"I know," said Tuffnut with a smirk. "But how did you guys know when to come get us? Are you psychic or something?"

"I wish," said Fishlegs with a sigh.

"We heard Barf and Belch recovering from the dragon root," explained Astrid. "When they went after you, we waited a bit and then followed. We picked up the speed when we saw their first blast. I'm glad we got there in time."

"I'm proud of you," said Hiccup, smiling at the twins. "You could have killed Ryker. But you didn't."

"I thought about it. But it would have been incredibly messy and I don't like having anyone else's blood on me but my own."

"He also said it wasn't something you stand for," added Ruffnut, voice still raspy and not quite at full strength. "He said he respects his leader and wouldn't kill him because it's not what we do."

Hiccup was at a loss for words for a moment, clearly touched. "Thanks, Tuff."

"I didn't say that," said Tuffnut gruffly. "She's lying."

The others laughed, and surrounded by her best friends, Ruffnut felt a lump grow in her throat. These were the ones who stuck by her when things looked dire, and would stay by her side until the very end. They were bonded by something unbreakable and everlasting. And her brother…the best brother in world…she didn't know what she'd do without him.

"Thank you," she spoke.

Exchanging glances, Snotlout spoke, bewildered, "For what?"

"Just…just for everything."

Tuffnut squinted. "Are you crying?"

"No," she said hotly, scrubbing at her wet eyes. "It's just sweat."

"Okay, now _I'm_ crying," sniffed Fishlegs. "Group hug, everybody!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut let out groans of exasperation, but could not help but laugh as their friends gathered around them in a tight embrace. Purring at the sight of their herd safe and reunited, the dragons joined the display of love and affection.

"Whoa!" yelped Snotlout as he and the others were jostled around. The five dragons clustered around, knocking their table over in their excitement. "Guys, guys—Meatlug, stop it! No kisses! Fishlegs, your dragon needs to have her teeth brushed!"

"I could say the same about yours," said Fishlegs with a laugh as Hookfang nuzzled his cheek.

"Yeah, I love you scaly losers too," said Ruffnut, rubbing Toothless' chin fondly.

"Most days," added Tuffnut, idly rubbing Stormfly's muzzle. He reacted to her head-butting his forehead with a grunt. "Oof, I was just kidding!"

"So, you think we're ready to go back to the Edge?" wondered Astrid, fingers massaging Barf's chin gently.

"What do you think, Ruff?" asked Hiccup, leaning his cheek against Belch's tenderly.

"Definitely," agreed Ruffnut. "I'm ready to go home. Or home-home. Whichever one the Edge is."

"Then we'll have to ask Gothi if we're clear to take you. If she gives you clearance, we're going home." Hiccup smiled. "Together."

Astrid snorted. "Like there's any other way."

Individually, they each had their own gifts, their own strengths. But it was when they were together that they were strong. They could overcome any obstacle and defeat any enemy. They had been through the unimaginable. They were a unique group, made of dragons and humans, and sometimes they got on each other's nerves and argued. Sometimes they strayed from each other. But they always came together, because at the end of the day, they were one. They belonged together.

No one would ever be able to tear them apart— _especially_ not Ryker.


End file.
